Girls Model Junior High School (GMJHS) was opened in the Kpandai District of the Northern Region with 34 girls becoming the pioneers of the school. It was founded by IBIS in Ghana, in collaboration with the district assembly and Ghana Education Service (GES) in the district.

The opening ceremony was witnessed by the chiefs, political leaders, education officials, religious leaders, the girls and their proud parents, among others. A new block, with classrooms and ancillary facilities funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), were also commissioned with the adoption of strategies for the effective teaching and grooming of the girls, it is expected that the Kpandai GMJHS would produce good learning outcomes and that the performance of the girls would inspire more parents to prioritise the education of their female children.

In many communities in the Kpandai District, girls are forced to drop out of school to marry. As a result, many girls are not able to stay and complete basic education or even go beyond that level. “We have high expectations of the performance of this school, demonstrating that if given the same chance as boys, girls can excel in the same way some boys have done,” Mr. Chals Wontewe, Country Director of IBIS, noted. Mr. Wontewe explained that “The school is called a model JHS not because of the nice structure we are inaugurating today; we expect the school to be a model that will take in ordinary girls and process them to be counted among the best wherever they go.”

The District Chief Executive for Kpandai, Mr. Jator Jasper Moayi, described the establishment of the model school as a welcome development since it would enhance gender parity in the district and creates a better future for girls; “The assembly has been very committed to the establishment of this school and would make sure it becomes a success. We have already awarded contract for the construction of a three-unit quarters to accommodate some of the teachers of the school,” Mr. Moayi stated.

He lauded IBIS for increasing access and quality education in the district through the revival of school management committees and parent-teacher associations, capacity building for circuit supervisors and teachers and the formation of girls' clubs in schools, among others.

The Kpandai District Director for Education, Mr. Sixtus Adiko, said the GES was proud to be part of such an initiative and gave an assurance that the directorate would supervise teaching and learning in the school, and also ensure proper management of the school.