THE Government has committed $273 million to strengthen founda­tional learning through play-based methods and the use of local languag­es as key drivers of educational success in basic education, the Minister of Edu­cation, Haruna Iddrisu has revealed.

He explained that $156 million out of the amount had been allocated by government to close funding gaps in education, while an additional $117 mil­lion grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) through the World Bank would be dedicated to supporting foundational learning.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu (fourth from right) with Baroness Chapman (fourth from left) and others

Mr Iddrisu announced this during a visit to the Ghana Education Outcomes Project (GEOP) Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) class in Accra.

The Minister explained that there is a strong link between local language and foundational learning and called for greater investment in Ghanaian languag­es, describing them as central to improv­ing learning outcome and creating a vital nexus for strengthening foundational education.

“This signifies the link between local language and foundational learning and we must invest in local Ghanaian lan­guages. It also highlights the nexus be­tween using local languages and improv­ing foundational learning outcomes.”

According to the Minister, these in­vestments ensure that every child could benefit from quality basic education, as guaranteed under Ghana’s Constitution.

“We must invest more in basic foun­dational learning so that children can get it right at a younger age and grow with it,” Mr Iddrisu stated.

The United Kingdom’s Minister for Development, Baroness Chapman, expressed her pleasure in partnering with the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to expand education in local languages across the country.

She noted that the initiative would help children return to school, and em­phasized that lasting progress depended on strong partnerships, system strength­ening, and supporting Ghana to lead its own educational agenda.

The GEOP project aims to reintegrate 70,000 out of school children (OOSC) into classrooms and improve learning outcomes in over 600 Ghana Account­ability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) schools across 29 districts in the country.

As of September 11, 2025, 52,708, learners have completed the ALP in three cycles in the rural lots and integrat­ed into mainstream schools. The project started in 2022 and will end in 2026.

The four-year project received fund­ing from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Organisation (FCDO) grant through the Global Partners for Results-Based Approaches Trust Fund (GPRBA – TF) of $25.5 million with additional counterpart funding of $4.5 million from the government of Ghana.

The programme brought together key stakeholders from government, development partners, and the private sector. The dignitaries included; Robert Taliercio O’brien, World Bank Country Director, British High Commissioner (Designate), Dr Christian Rogg, The Country Director of Plan International, Mr Constant Tchona.

The Greater Accra Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Hajia Katumi Natagmah Attah, Partner – Head of Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare, KPMG, Mr Jonathan Lutterodt, a Representative from Bridges Outcomes Partnership, Jesus Miguel Falcon Perez and the Municipal Director of Education, Madam Judith Amoateng Ennin.