Twelve senior high schools in the Upper East Region have been selected to benefit from a major infrastructure expansion programme under the World Bank-supported STAR-J initiative, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has announced.
The programme forms part of government’s broader plan to expand secondary education infrastructure and improve learning outcomes nationwide.
Speaking at a Resetting Ghana community engagement in the Upper East Region, Iddrisu said government was committing between US$2.8 billion and US$3 billion to the expansion of secondary education under the programme.
He said 12 schools in the region had been identified to benefit from the investment.
As part of the programme, a senior high school in Bolgatanga is expected to receive US$42 million for the construction and expansion of a state-of-the-art Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) facility.
Iddrisu said the investment was intended to strengthen science and technology education while providing students with modern facilities for practical learning.
He also announced plans to expand specialised medical education in the region.
The University of Allied Sciences in the Upper East Region is expected to be given the mandate and accreditation to offer medicine, subject to the availability and modernisation of the required facilities and resources.
The Minister said the University for Development Studies and other tertiary institutions were also being positioned to expand access to specialised programmes, including medical education.
At the Bolgatanga Technical University, he said ongoing infrastructure development would be supported with funding secured from Italy, including resources for the retooling of universities.
Navrongo Senior High School, his alma mater, is also benefiting from the construction of an assembly hall and expansion of dormitory facilities, he said.
Iddrisu further assured students of Zamse Senior High Technical School that government would protect the school’s land from encroachment and move to expand some of its facilities.
He said the interventions reflected government’s commitment to making education a priority in the Upper East Region.
The Minister also reaffirmed government’s commitment to the Free Senior High School policy, saying it “has come to stay”.
He said government was reviewing the implementation of the policy with emphasis on expanding infrastructure, improving feeding arrangements and strengthening quality assurance.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
