The government in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE) launched the Smart School Project (SSP) today, 25th March 2024. The project is aimed at improving education through digitalization by introducing technology in the teaching and learning process.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has indicated that some buildings in Senior High Schools nationwide will be converted into smart learning environments to enhance the Smart School project initiated by the Ministry of Education under the auspices of the government.
He noted that the government will establish aftercare centers in the various schools to attend to computers that may need updates and repairs, this will be coupled with a 24-hour call center to resolve all consumer issues and complaints from students who will benefit from the Smart School project.
“The future of our educational system is what we are witnessing today. We are actually embarking on our agenda for the transformation of Ghana. The future of Ghana couldn’t be brighter than what we are seeing. We can assure you, under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the foundation is laid”.
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
Furthermore, he noted that Ghana will be a part of the fourth industrial revolution due to the incumbent government’s effort to digitalize the education sector of the country for an improved economy, arguing that the education sector will spearhead the development of every sector of the country.
Praising the President for his achievements in improving the educational system, the Minister stated, “Historians, Mr. President will be kind to you”.
He further commended the President for making the improvements in the education sector possible even in a COVID-19-ridden economy. He indicated that the investment in the education sector by the government is an antidote to the country’s economic challenges, noting that a well-rounded education will lay a strong foundation for the economy.
Moreover, the Minister of Education argued that in addition to improving access to secondary education in Ghana, the government’s foremost aim is to improve the quality of education in every aspect and at every level from preschool (kindergarten) through to tertiary education. “We are not the manifesto class we did not say these in our manifesto but we did them” he added.
Bridging Financial Gap In Education
Speaking at the launch, the President, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo specified that the one tablet per student policy initiative of the government is intended to bridge the gap between disadvantaged and privileged students in senior high schools.
“Today, I have the singular honor of launching officially yet another intervention to add further impetus to what I’ve already described as a transformative policy that has broken the myths and liberated minds. Education is not merely a right, a privilege, we now know it’s a fundamental right whose enforcement powers individuals, transforms societies, and propels nations towards progress”.
H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
He further admonished Ghanaians to reflect on the crucial roles education plays in shaping the future of the country. He argued that education is at the center of poverty eradication which is a major goal of the government as a signee to the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG) – Goal One.
“It therefore explains why against all odds, I went ahead to propose and subsequently the Free Senior High School program in September 2017, nine months after I took office,” the President said.
The President argued that his government’s massive investment in the education sector is to ensure that education serves as a catalyst around which the future transformation of the country resolves.
He alleged that the government has been able to improve Free SHS and also include TVET and STEM education without compromising the quality of education at the low-level– basic schools.
He also touted his government’s achievement in the digitalization space led by his “excellent and indefatigable” Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia which has improved transparency and efficiency in the public sector significantly.
The President also indicated that the government is determined to reap all the benefits the country can derive from digitalization and education for economic development.
Conclusively, in an attempt to fly his own kite, the President also noted that the incumbent government has been the only government since the inception of the Fourth Republic to have made enormous investments in the education system which will yield dividends to the country in a few years.
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