The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has initiated a new project worth $14.39 million over a five-year period to provide support to low-cost private schools in Northern Ghana.
This marks USAID’s inaugural venture into Ghana’s private school sector, with the aim of enhancing accessibility to 213 carefully chosen low-cost private schools in the northern region.
A statement from USAID indicated that Grace Lang, the Deputy Mission Director of USAID, collaborated with Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, to inaugurate this project in Tamale.
“A quality education should not depend on where you live. We want every child to have access to quality education. The $14 million activity we are launching today will support low-cost private schools that serve rural and disadvantaged communities.”
“The activity will support the schools to improve education access, quality, and learning outcomes for students, and increase private sector investments in northern Ghana,” USAID Deputy Mission Director Lang said in the statement.
As outlined in the statement, the newly initiated USAID program aims to achieve several key objectives. These include the enhancement of teacher certification and retention, the reinforcement of school leadership capabilities and overall quality, and the implementation of a comprehensive investment strategy to support school improvements.
Furthermore, the activity will facilitate the provision of accessible financing alternatives for specifically chosen low-cost private schools that cater to underprivileged communities in the northern region of Ghana.
“The activity is committed to serving populations in the most under-resourced locations in the northern section of the country.”
“The activity will also strengthen the relationship and regulator capacity of the Ministry of Education and its agencies in its oversight of private schools,” the statement added.
By the end of the five-year period, USAID envisions that the project will have enhanced business acumen for over 200 school leaders. It aims to equip 400 teacher mentors with evidence-based classroom best practices, allowing them to instruct an additional 2,000 teachers, and certify 1,200 untrained teachers.
Furthermore, the statement outlined that Opportunity International, the USAID implementing partner, will establish a School Capacity Building Fund (SCBF). This fund is designed to aid the identified schools in enhancing their operations and becoming more financially sound through the provision of catalytic grants.