Baskadia

One of the indefatigable personalities in Ghana who happens to be the current Minister of Education, Honourable Yaw Osei Adutwum, the MP for Bosomtwe constituency has uplifted the image of Ghana into an upward trajectory.

As Ghana celebrates Her 66th birthday today it becomes highly imperative to commend the good efforts of this hardworking Minister who is helping the nation in all angles when it comes to quality education programmes and delivery.

He really knows the right path within which the education system ought to move to and his level of intelligence, job performance, innovativeness is a greater force to be reckoned with.

Since joining the Ministry as a deputy minister in the first term of the Nana Akufo- Addo-led administration, the education sector has witnessed a huge transformation that is impacting lives and giving hope to the younger generation.

The affable Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe in the Ashanti Region has been the brain behind the much-touted Free Senior High School and other innovative policies being implemented by the Ministry in recent times.

It was therefore not surprising that His Excellency the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo elevated him to become the substantive minister in the second of his administration.

Honourable Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, who is passionate about quality and holistic education, believes the introduction of the Free Senior High School Policy is the way to go as a country to ensure unrestrained access to second cycle education.

With his vast knowledge in the education sector, it is the vision of Dr. Adutwum to replicate best practices in private schools in public schools to achieve the desired results expected by all stakeholders.

As selfless as he is, the education minister returned to Ghana from the United States of America (USA) where he carved a niche for himself as a renowned educationist after 24 years, to contribute his quota to Ghana's education.

Prior to the 2016 general elections, he had demonstrated his commitment to the realisation of the vision of the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) flag bearer who had promised Ghanaians of free secondary education by playing an instrumental role in espousing the idea during the campaign.

Having lived in the USA for many years, Dr. Adutwum appreciates the need to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich in terms of access to education, hence his commitment to ensure a level playing field for all Ghanaian children.

This, he intends to achieve, by applying practical experiences he acquired in America where he was involved in various educational activities.

The Minister is currently spearheading the implementation of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education with the aim of training most Ghanaian youth in the areas of engineering and technology.

The initiative is, arguably considered by many as one of the boldest steps taken by a minister in the history of Ghana's education to build the capacities of students in problem solving, creativity and critical thinking.

Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum at a stakeholders' forum on STEM in Accra, said that Ghana does not need new education policies but a holistic implementation of the already existing education policies.

He said, instead of coming out with new policies, what is needed is to strictly implement existing policies to turn the nation's education around to meet the demands of the 21st century.

Today, thousands of Ghanaian children across the country are benefiting from the Free Senior High school Policy, which is backed by the 1992 Constitution, but has been shelved over the years due to lack of political will.

The implementation of the Policy has not only created opportunities for thousands of Junior High School leavers who hitherto could not have progressed to Senior High School but also, has seen an increase in educational infrastructure.