USAID inaugurates Gbegbeyesie Cluster of Schools

USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Africa, Oren Whyche-Shaw has inaugurated Gbegbeyesie “A & B” Cluster of Schools, a USAID-supported three-story, 18-unit public primary schools in Dansoman, Accra.

The Gbegbeyesie “A & B” Cluster of Schools houses three standard primary schools in one building and includes science and computer laboratories as well as a library.

Present at the inauguration were officials from the Ministry of Education, Members of Parliament, and the Mayor of Accra, Mr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, a statement from the Public Affairs Section of the United States Embassy in Accra copied to the Ghana News Agency said.

USAID supports the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to build and furnish new school complexes to increase access to basic education and to help eradicate the “shift system” in which pupils only attend school for part of the day due to lack of space.

The statement disclosed that from 2011-2013, USAID/Ghana provided $2.3 million to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to build and furnish four school complexes.

In June 2014, USAID/Ghana provided $1.5 million to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly for the construction of two additional school complexes. USAID/Ghana is also funding the construction of six new kindergarten blocks for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, which started in September this year.

“By investing in essential education infrastructure, the United States and Ghana are encouraging life-long learning,” said Ms. Whyche-Shaw at the inauguration.

“These schools are helping the nation of Ghana to improve economic growth, attract foreign investment, create new jobs, and ensure the prosperity of each and every Ghanaian child”.

The goal of USAID/Ghana’s education programme is to ensure that children are given the foundation skills to read with understanding in the early grades of primary school, the statement said.

USAID’s activities in Ghana improve the quality of reading instruction, strengthen the management of educational institutions, improve accountability and transparency between parents, schools and local government, and help communities contribute to student and teacher performance.

USAID is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. For more than 50 years, USAID has supported Ghana in increasing food security, improving basic health care, enhancing access to quality basic education, and strengthening local governance to benefit all Ghanaian people.