Education Minister directs transparent procurement for STARR-J projects

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has instructed his officials to ensure all projects under the US$300 million STARR-J programme are procured through a transparent, competitive, and value-for-money process. The government intends to allocate around GH¢2.8 billion from this fund to enhance secondary school infrastructure and increase access to quality education nationwide.

The remaining resources will focus on quality assurance, textbooks, and improved learning outcomes. During the Ghana and Regional Foundational Learning Evidence and Implementation Support Day on August 20, Iddrisu highlighted the importance of prioritizing foundational learning, specifically literacy and numeracy, as the gateway to the success of any educational system.

He stressed that the education system's success should be measured by children's actual acquisition of competencies, not merely the number of classrooms or infrastructure provided. Iddrisu emphasized that education policy and resource allocation must be driven by evidence, citing the GALOP initiative, which identified around 10,579 underperforming basic schools for additional support.

Additionally, he referred to an Auditor-General's report that revealed about 10,700 public basic schools in 13 regions, serving more than three million pupils, lacked proper classroom facilities, underscoring the necessity for continuous investment in basic education. Regarding curriculum development, Iddrisu announced that the revised Kindergarten to Primary Six curriculum would emphasize digital and technical skills, such as robotics, coding, electronics, and artificial intelligence, as part of foundational learning.

The revised curriculum will be presented to the Cabinet for policy guidance once the Ghana Education Service completes its review. The Minister reiterated that education investments must ultimately lead to improved learning outcomes, ensuring that every Ghanaian child gains the foundational knowledge and skills needed for success.