WB pledges support for education sector

The World Bank Country Director, Mr Pierre Laporte, has lauded the government for its effort at promoting development through education to support the nation’s growth.

The Country Director pledged to support the government’s education transformation agenda for the training of the right skills to meet what the 21st-century job market required.

Speaking during a courtesy call on the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum in Accra on Monday, Mr Laporte said the support to the country would come in the form of collaboration with the Ministry of Education in the provision of the right resources and skills needed to boost the transformation to enhance socio-economic development of the country.

The Country Director took time to enumerate and highlight more on various projects being undertaken by the World Bank and assured the Minister that it would continue to assist the country in its bid to reduce poverty.

He urged the government to also look at strengthening and expanding digital technology and skills which held the key to the fastest transformation of the country.

Dr Adutwum, on his part said, strengthening Junior and Senior High Schools towards skills development, bridging the Intersection between Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), increasing Gross Tertiary Enrolment Ratio from 18.8 per cent to 40 per cent by 2030 as some of the areas under the education transformation.

He also spoke about increasing enrolment in STEM related programmes at the Universities to 60:40 in favour of STEM, reducing Learning Poverty through assessment and intervention as some of the major initiatives being done in the country.

The minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe in the Ashanti Region stated that creating a pipeline from Basic through High School to the Tertiary level was a crucial issue being looked at in the transformation initiative.

He lauded the World Bank for its unflinching support to the country over the years and urged them to continue to help turn things around for the nation and the rest of the world.

Dr Adutwum assured the Country Director of government’s readiness to promote critical thinking in schools as it held the key to national transformation and also work very hard to ensure a total transformation of the economy through education.