ACCRA, Feb 10 (NNN-XINHUA) — A senior World Bank official called on the Ghanaian government to create more equal opportunities for girls in science education.
Jaime Saavedra, a global education director for the World Bank, made the call during a two-day visit to Ghana to discuss the strategic vision for education in Ghana.
While commending the Ghanaian government for focusing on free education at the senior high school level, he emphasized the need to encourage more girls to veer into science education.
“It’s extremely important not only to increase access to secondary school with a free fee-based policy but also to make sure that all boys and girls have the same opportunities,” he emphasized. “The school should be that space in which we break those gender roles that have been traditionally reserved for girls; we need actually to emphasize girls’ rights.”
Ghanaian Minister for Education Yaw Osei Adutwum said the government was working to scale up access and quality education for all.
As part of his itinerary, the World Bank official visited some educational institutions in the capital Accra to familiarize himself with the implementation of some projects funded by the bank.
Sarah Boamah-Buabeng, a coordinator for the Korley Klottey Municipal Education Directorate, expressed optimism that more girls will develop an interest and a strong passion for science-related subjects.
For at least three decades, the World Bank has implemented a number of educational programs, benefiting some 5.81 million learners in Ghana, out of which 2.87 million are girls. — NNN-XINHUA