Education Minister-designate and Tamale South MP, Haruna Iddrisu has pledged commitment to addressing the disparities in educational access and infrastructure between northern and southern Ghana.
He said poverty has being a major barrier to accessing quality education.
“I will work towards equity and improving the quality of education at all levels. Affirmative action interventions will be necessary to correct historical imbalances and close the gaps,” he said.
“It’s important to recognize that as a country, there is a north-south divide when it comes to access to education.
“The first school was established in the south in 1876, but in the north, we only got ours around 1951. This historical gap has created a deficit that must be addressed,” he stated.
The former Minority Leader touched on the higher participation rates in the north under the Free Senior High School policy,
“So you can imagine the gap and the deficit even Achimota School around 1924 at the time that Tamale Secondary School, which became the first in the north. We will work to close that gap. Indeed, even for the implementation of the Free Senior High School, it is noted that the participation rate is very high in Northern Ghana.
“It explains that poverty likely hindered many from accessing education. The focus now should be on quality, equality, and equity,” he explained.
Mr Iddrisu cited the alarming statistics on infrastructure deficits in northern Ghana, as well as in the Oti and Western North regions.
He revealed that there is a shortfall of approximately 5,000 facilities across basic, junior high, and senior high schools in these regions but pledged to take proactive measures to address the inequities.
ALSO READ: