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A delegation from the United Nations International Education Fund (UNICEF) Ghana has paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, as part of measures to strengthen collaboration to enhance the education sector.
The delegation led by UNICEF Country Director, Osama Makkawi Khogali, also included the Education Chief at UNICEF Ghana, Christin McConnell, and an Education Specialist at UNICEF, Christopher Nkrumah.
The meeting, which was held at the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Accra yesterday, was to discuss potential areas of collaboration between UNICEF and the MoE. The entity used the occasion to pledge support for critical sectors in the education system.
The courtesy call also signifies a strong partnership between UNICEF and the Government of Ghana, particularly in the education sector over the years to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4, which focuses on quality education.
At the meeting¸ Mr Khogali affirmed its commitment to supporting Ghana's efforts to improve education outcomes, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Mr Khogali emphasised UNICEF's focus on financing critical sectors, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The pledge, he said, was significant in boosting the country's efforts to revamp its TVET sector, which was critical in addressing the country's youth unemployment challenges.
He indicated that it was important that the country made significant investments in TVET to help equip young people with the skills and knowledge needed to compete in the modern job market.
The Country Director added that “a clear vision, a national plan, and an assessment between the demand of labour market and the supply of skill set” was required in establishing TVET to produce graduates that would be needed for the job market.
Mr Iddrisu expressed his gratitude to the delegation for the reinforced commitment of UNICEF in addressing critical educational challenges.
He expressed satisfaction with the emphasis of UNICEF on the three key policies such as the inclusive education policy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and TVET.
He stated that the MoE was looking forward to fostering a stronger partnership with UNICEF to mobilise resources to address some of the gaps that existed in the educational sector.
“We look forward to strengthening our partnership to mobilise resources, which you would lead in the process so that we deal with some of the gaps that you have mentioned,” the Education Minister said.
He also called for a review of the curriculum to ensure the teaching of integrity and values that would allow students to appreciate patriotism in building the country.
“We intend as a government, with the recommendations of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), to review education curricula from kindergarten to primary six in the coming days to reflect the changing trends in terms of training,” he stated.
