Deputy Education Minister urges West Africa to invest in school resilience before crises

Pinned summary · as of 16:14

Deputy Education Minister Dr Clement Apaak has asked West African governments and their partners to put money into education systems that can withstand shocks before emergencies strike. He was addressing a two-day conference in Accra on education in emergencies, running from 29 to 30 September.

What we know

• Dr Apaak spoke in Accra at ACCELERATE+, the second senior-level meeting on expanding school programmes in crisis settings, which looks at using research to shape help for vulnerable and out-of-school children.
• He said conflict, climate shocks, health emergencies and economic strain are repeatedly disrupting schooling across the sub-region, and that girls, children with disabilities and rural or poorer families are hit hardest.
• The minister argued that risk analysis, contingency plans and safe school buildings are cheaper than repairing systems after a crisis, and he asked for stronger regional and district capacity backed by good data and clear mandates.
• Dr Apaak said emergency education work has often been driven by the rush to respond, and warned that acting without evidence can waste scarce resources and fail the children it is meant to help.
• He asked governments and development partners for steady, predictable funding for approaches with a track record, naming Accelerated Education Programmes, learning led by communities, and remote schooling that needs little technology.
• Dr Apaak listed equity, more domestic financing and closer regional cooperation as priorities. Development partners matter, he said, but governments must own the agenda and set money aside for it.
• He used Ghana's COVID-19 school closures as an example, saying children without devices, power, internet or an adult to help fell further behind.
• Associates for Change organised the meeting, which drew around 150 policymakers, researchers, practitioners and partners from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and elsewhere.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Adom Online and MyJoyOnline reported that Dr Apaak delivered the address on behalf of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, and that Ghana is revising the curriculum for Kindergarten to Basic Six and backing early reading and mother-tongue teaching. None of the other reports mention these points.
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  Adom Online and MyJoyOnline also said Dr Apaak pointed to the Ghana Education Evidence Lab and the Foundational Learning Action Tracker as tools for spotting gaps and guiding timely action. The other reports do not cover this.

Why it matters for Ghana

Floods, disease outbreaks and insecurity in neighbouring countries can shut classrooms quickly, and pupils in deprived and rural communities in Ghana are the ones least able to keep learning from home. The minister's call for domestic budget lines and regional data sharing bears on how much the government and its partners spend on school safety and remote learning in the coming years. Parents and teachers would notice the effects first, in whether lessons continue during the next emergency.