The Ministry of Education (MoE) in Ghana supports the Ghana Education Outcome Project (EOF) / Education Outcome Fund (GEOP). It also receives backing from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO). Additionally, the World Bank and the Education Outcome Fund support the project. It has successfully increased school enrollment in its target communities. There is a particular focus on Mimima in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East region.
The initiative aims to engage out-of-school Children (OOSC). It integrates them into formal primary education. This strives for better literacy and numeracy outcomes.
Since its launch in 2023, approximately 21,316 children have been enrolled in the program.
The EOF/GEOP Complementary Basic Education initiative consists of three cohorts. Cohort 1 enrolled 6,619 children. Cohort 2 enrolled 7,467. Cohort 3 brought in 7,652 participants. Plan International Ghana is the primary service provider for the project.
Children in the program have undergone training in numeracy and functional literacy, taught in their native languages.
Amadu Mahama, the Project Manager for the Education Outcome Fund at Plan International Ghana, emphasised the project’s focus. He stated that it addresses illiteracy among children in rural areas.
“We initially targeted 20,000 children, but as of now, we have successfully enrolled 21,316 children back into school,” he explained.
He also noted that data suggests approximately 8 million children are currently without access to education. This underscores the importance of such initiatives.
The project is being rolled out in the Savannah, North East, and Bono East regions.
Mr. Mahama appealed to parents to let their children join the program. He highlighted a common challenge faced by the project.
“One of the challenges we face is parents’ willingness to send their children back to school, as many rely on them for support in economic activities such as farming. However, we have conducted community sensitisation efforts to help parents understand the importance of education, leading to increased consent for enrollment.”
