Ghana gets $300 million from World Bank to support secondary education reform

The World Bank has committed about $300 million to support Ghana’s planned Secondary Education Transformation for Results and Jobs initiative, a major programme aimed at improving learning outcomes and expanding employment opportunities for young people.

The initiative forms part of government efforts to reform Ghana’s secondary education system to better prepare students with skills needed for the labour market.

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The funding is expected to support reforms designed to strengthen teaching and learning, upgrade school infrastructure and equip students with practical and technical skills needed for jobs and entrepreneurship.

The programme is expected to help transform the secondary education sector while creating stronger links between education and employment.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, announced the funding during a visit by Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer of the World Bank Group, to Osu Mahean Basic School.

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The initiative seeks to enhance learning outcomes and create better employment opportunities for the country’s youth, while also strengthening the quality and relevance of secondary education.

Part of the funding will be used to upgrade senior high schools across the country. The support will help convert several Category C schools to Category B status and upgrade some Category B schools to Category A, improving facilities and learning conditions for students nationwide.

The investment is also expected to support broader reforms aimed at strengthening science, technology and technical education while improving access to quality secondary education.

The new funding builds on previous collaboration between Ghana and the World Bank in the education sector.

For example, the Secondary Education Improvement Project, supported by the World Bank since 2014, has helped expand access to senior high school education in underserved districts and improve learning outcomes.

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The programme has already benefited hundreds of thousands of students, while scholarships and bursaries have supported learners to stay in school.

Investments in secondary education are critical for Ghana’s long-term economic growth, especially as the country seeks to equip its large youth population with skills needed in a rapidly changing global economy.