Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has affirmed the government’s commitment to making investments in the country’s education sector. In a speech delivered on his behalf by Senior Presidential Advisor, Nana Yaw Osafo Maafo, the Vice President at the launch of the 2022 National Education Week in Accra on Monday. “Notwithstanding, the achievements of this government over the past years in the education sector, there is still more room for improvement. And it is fair to state we may not achieve all our targets in one year, or in one term of government or even in our lifetime. However, the government’s commitment to invest more in the education sector remains unshaken,” he said. Amidst Ghana’s current economic challenges, some critics of some government policies, including the Senior High School policy, have called for a review. But according to the vice president, the government will protect the Free SHS policy even in its negotiations for an IMF programme. This, he noted, will protect the gains made in the area of SHS education and the entire education sector as a whole. “His Excellency Nana Addo- Dankwa Akufo Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, has given his surest commitment yet when he announced that free SHS will continue despite an IMF programme,” he stated. "Among other things, the vice president noted that government through its investments in the education sector will consolidate the Free SHS policy by including TVET, expand tertiary education access and “equip the Ghanaian youth with 21st Century skills to enhance their global competitiveness.” On his part, Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjor, noted the responsibility of the education sector to national development and the need for deliberate policies to deliver on those responsibilities. “The education sector therefore has the responsibility of contributing to the desired national transformation by recognising the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and prescribing strategies to address the challenges in order to give every Ghanaian child the opportunity to succeed and contribute to national development. For this to be successful, strategic policies must be developed and re-assessed periodically for effective service delivery,” he stated. The Deputy Minister of Education reiterated that reassessing educational policies, as outlined in the theme for the commemoration, is very important and its essence cannot be overemphasized. He urged the participants to make quality inputs that will go on to improve the sector towards the transformation of the nation’s economy The 2022 National Education Week (NEW) has the theme: 'Re-assessing Educational Policies for Effective Service Delivery and National Transformation’. It is being attended by approximately 300 officials drawn from the Education Ministry, officials from Agencies, Regional Directors of Education, selected District Directors, Heads of Schools and representatives from other ministries, development partners, academia, teacher unions, NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector. Watch the latest episode of #SayItLoud below: Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown below: GA/BOG