In all, 11,135 schools under the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) will benefit from the distribution, which will include 1,214,347 Primary One to Three pupils.

In addition, a publisher, Prof. Quarm, has also distributed 275,000 books for classes One to Six, while 629,755 Creative Arts books for classes One to Three and 43,832 teachers’ guide would be sent to the schools.

York Press is also distributing 246,633 science textbooks for classes One to Six and 14,217 teachers’ guide.

The others are Afram Publications, 440,000 English textbooks for classes Four to Six and NNF Publication, 51,087 science textbooks for classes One to Three pupils.

Minister

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who made this known at a press briefing in Accra last Friday, said more textbooks would be coming this week and would be sent to the schools.

On the USAID books, he said the agency had a distribution system that went directly to the schools.

“So USAID books will be hitting schools within the next two weeks. They will be going to our schools,” he said.

STEM

On science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) high schools, Dr Adutwum said the President, after assuming office, placed high emphasis on STEM and began the construction of 20 STEM centres.

Some, he said, including the ones at Jinijini and Accra High School, had been completed and would be operationalised.

Apart from the STEM centres, he said, there were STEM high schools at Abomosu in the Eastern Region, Kpasenkpe, North East Region; Kwadaso, Ashanti Region; Dabaa, Ashanti Region; Akrodie, Ahafo Region; Awaso, Western North Region; Weija, Greater Accra; Koase, Bono Region; Diaso, Central Region, and Bosomtwe Girls in the Ashanti Region.

The STEM schools at Abomosu, Kpasenkpe, Awaso and Bosomtwe Girls are operationalised, while the remaining are under construction.

“We make sure all the science laboratories were done before the schools opened and that is the new norm now. Every school that we open, the science laboratory should be complete,” he said.

On technical and vocational, education and training (TVET), the minister said $60 million had been secured under the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project as seed money for the Skills Development Fund.

According to him, one area that had seen great transformation was TVET, with the provision of equipment, facilities and infrastructure.

Among others, he said, existing schools had seen infrastructure development with more schools being built.

STEM universities

Dr Adutwum noted that seven technical colleges like the old polytechnics and two technical institutes were under construction and they are Centre of Excellence, Abrankese (Asanti; Boako Technical College (Western North), Kenyasi No. 1 Technical College (Ahafo), Patuda Technical College (Bono East), Dambai Technical College (Oti), Salaga Technical College (Savannah), Guabuliga Technical College (North East), Tolibri Technical Institute (Upper East) and Akyem Awisa Technical Institute (Eastern).

Most of the institutions, he said, were in the new regions, adding that in the midst of economic challenges, the President was forging ahead.

“Within a year or two, they will all be operationalised,” he emphasised.