Accra, Feb. 21, GNA - The Second Edition of the Ghana Educational Directory, the first of its kind in Africa, has been launched in Accra by the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and the Career Training Consult (CTC).

The Directory was a concept which was researched and developed by Mr. Fifii Odoom, Managing Consultant of CTC, a management and educational consultancy firm in Accra, and submitted to the Ministry of Education for support for execution.

The 800 page directory, is an update on the number of schools that were registered in the country, providing data that gave a ready information to students and parents on the courses available in a particular school, its facilities and needs based on which organizations could assist.

It covers schools from kindergarten to primary, Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary schools, Technical and vocational Institutions, Teacher Training Colleges, Tertiary Institutions, Examination Bodies and Associations and some advertisements.

Papa Owusu Ankomah, Minister of Education Science and Sports said in a speech read on his behalf that the Ministry had adopted the Ghana Educational Directory through which educational information would be made available to all stakeholders in the educational sector. "With the introduction of this directory, parents and students will be well guided in selecting programmes and courses offered by all educational institutions in the country."

Papa Owusu Ankomah said the directory would also be useful to the donor communities and Non Governmental Organizations because the areas on need of all educational institutions were captured to ensure that "direct assistance" to such institutions were made to satisfy their specific needs.

He said although the Ministry did not fund the project directly, the government saw it as another media to channel her educational policies to all Ghanaians.

Mr. Odoom, the Consultant, noted that institutions would get copies of the directory at special prices ranging from 500,000 cedis to one million cedis.

He congratulated all Regional Directors, District Directors and supporting staff, heads of all educational institutions and donors who participated actively towards the successful completion of the directory.