Education Ministry reaffirms commitment to improving foundational learning

The Ministry of Education in Ghana has reaffirmed its dedication to enhancing foundational literacy and numeracy skills, with a focus on enhancing learning outcomes in underprivileged and underperforming schools. This commitment was expressed during a meeting with a delegation from the Jacobs Foundation, which supports the Ministry's educational initiatives.

Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, the Deputy Minister of Education, welcomed the delegation and expressed gratitude to the Jacobs Foundation for its ongoing partnership. He praised the Foundation for its crucial role in Ghana's education improvement efforts. The Foundation's assistance had contributed to Ghana securing $40 million through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Multiplier Grant, further bolstered by additional resources from development partners, raising the total funding to $80 million.

This funding supports various projects, including the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP), Communities of Excellence initiative, and other programs aimed at improving learning outcomes, particularly in deprived areas. The Communities of Excellence initiative has shown positive results, with participating schools beginning to adopt successful practices from GALOP schools.

Currently, 3,608 schools across 129 districts are involved in this initiative. The Ministry has also completed an operational manual, trained district focal persons, and developed a Foundational Learning Leadership Toolkit for beneficiary schools and teacher support teams.

The Ghana Education Data and Learning Lab (GIDLab) aims to strengthen evidence-based decision-making through research, data management, and knowledge dissemination. Since January 2026, the Ministry has developed a Research and Learning Agenda and an operational manual to guide its implementation. The Deputy Minister emphasized that the ultimate measure of these interventions would be their impact on foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes.

The Ministry remains committed to accountability and ensuring that resources provided by development partners yield maximum benefit.

Concerning illegal small-scale mining in cocoa-growing communities, Dr. Apaak expressed worry that some farmers might abandon their cocoa farms for illegal mining, potentially affecting education and other aspects of community life. He called for continued collaboration to address these challenges affecting learning. The CEO of the Jacobs Foundation expressed confidence in Ghana's partnership, citing the Foundation's and the Ministry's shared values of transparency and openness.

The Board members were impressed by the Foundation's discussions with school teachers about their challenges, which reinforced the Foundation's belief that Ghana is a suitable country for its education interventions. Additionally, the Foundation's presence at a foundational learning conference in Dakar, Senegal, attracted international interest, with Senegalese Ministry of Education officials expressing interest in adapting similar approaches in their country.

The CEO reiterated the Foundation's commitment to supporting broader, country-level education initiatives in Ghana and vowed to continue supporting efforts to coordinate development partners and reduce sector fragmentation. The Foundation emphasized the importance of the Ministry of Education remaining at the core of decision-making and responsibility for the education sector, promising ongoing support for Ghana's education transformation agenda.