Achievements of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as Education Minister under Mahama’s 2013-2017 administration

Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang worked tirelessly as Education Minister under Mahama’s 2013-2017 administration and chalked many successes for the education fraternity.

Below is the list of achievements of Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as Education Minister under Mahama’s 2013-2017 administration.

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PROF. JANE NAANA OPOKU-AGYEMANG ACCOMPLISHED AS JOHN MAHAMA’S EDUCATION MINISTER FROM 2013-2017

1. Upgraded Colleges of Education into full-fledged tertiary institutions.

2. Introduced the unprecedented Private BECE.

3. Converted Polytechnics into Technical Universities.

4. Eliminated the obnoxious shift system in public basic schools.

5. Introduced the progressively Free SHS, which targeted 458,700 poor and vulnerable students.

6. Introduced the Students’ Loan Plus for students who gain admission but face financial handicap in raising initial, time-bound registration fees.

7. Supervised the completion of the University of Health and Allied Sciences in the Volta Region.

8. Increased Student Loan beneficiaries from 13,833 in the 2012/2013 academic year to 24,951 in the 2015/2016 academic year.

9. Upward review of the Student Loan from Gh¢650 to Gh¢1,000 – Ghc2,000.

10.Increased capitation grant by 100% for 11,650 public basic schools in 75 deprived districts.

11. Introduced BECE subsidy program for all registered candidates in private and public schools.

12.Abolished the quota system at the Colleges of Education which led to enrollment increasing from 9,000 to 15,400.

13. Reduced teacher absenteeism drastically from 27% to 7%.

14. Ensured the automatic posting of teachers without National Service and Licensure Examination.

15.Procured and distributed more than 150,000 tables & chairs to basic schools.

16.Supervised Ghana’s overall best performing WASSCE nations award by WAEC for four consecutive years. 17. Upgraded 50 less endowed facilities in Senior High Schools and 75

under-performing Senior High Schools under Secondary School

Education Improvement Program (SEIP).

18. Improved quality in basic education, resulting in Ghana’s all-time best BECE performance.

19. Distributed 787,485 free school uniforms to deprived districts across the country.

20. Supervised the distribution of over 40,000 free made-in-Ghana leather sandals for vulnerable pupils in basic schools.

21.Oversaw the distribution of bicycles, school bags, mathematical sets, solar lamps, calculators and textbooks to some 155,781 pupils to improve retention and transition rate.

22. Constructed 25 District Education Offices.

23. Pioneered the distribution of free sanitary pads to girls in basic and secondary schools.

24. Constructed some 1,129 classroom blocks, 73 teacher flats, and bungalows in under served schools.

25. Revived the Glass blowing Unit at UCC to begin the production of glassware for our science labs leading to innovation and job creation.

26.Built child-friendly daycare centres all over the country.

27. Rolled out a special intervention in training STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

28. Refurbished all Science Resource Centres.

29. Distributed laptops for teachers free of charge.

30. Completed various projects in public universities and initiated new projects across campuses.

31. Fully funded the Centres of Excellence at the KNUST and the University of Ghana campuses.

32. Established the Centre for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens which aided the country to carry out research that led to sequencing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

33. Completed and commissioned the West African Examination Council complex International Building in Accra.

34. Constructed the Ghana Academy of Arts complex.

35. Constructed the Association of Africa Universities complex in Accra.

36. Stimulated the use of Ghanaian languages as the medium of instruction at the lower level of education by translating the relevant textbooks into the appropriate languages.

37. Increased the textbook ratio at the basic schools from one book to three pupils to four books per pupil.

38. Began the construction of 123 E-Blocks across the country, 47 of which were fully completed, resourced and operationalized.

39. Provided training for Master Craftsmen to enhance and upgrade the training of apprentices in the informal sector.

40. For the first time in the history of the Presidential Awards for JHS candidates, 13 out of the 20 emerged winners from public basic schools, confirming our Social Democratic conviction that everyone, regardless of their financial or social standing, is capable of excellence.

41. Secured funding towards the establishment of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) at the University of Ghana

42. Negotiated funding for the West African Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) as an African Centre of Excellence for training plant breeders, seed scientists, and seed technologists at the University of Ghana.

43. Established Regional Centres of Excellence for Water and Environmental Sanitation at the KNUST.

44. She distributed 500 vehicles to Educational Institutes at all levels.

Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang accomplished all these and more without a single scandal and with impeccable efficiency, integrity, patriotism and love for country.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh