Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, has commended the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for being at the forefront of efforts to achieve the Global Initiative "Education for All" Goals by 2015.
She said this when she led Ghana's delegation to the 36th General Conference of UNESCO held in Paris from October 25 - 31.
A statement issued in Accra on Wednesday by the Ministry said Mrs Mould�Iddrisu delivered Ghana's Policy statement to the conference and discussed the numerous interventions made by the government to provide educational facilities in the country, such as the provision of free school uniforms and exercise books for children of school-going age; an upward adjustment to the Ghana Schools' Capitation Grant; expansion of educational infrastructure with respect to the construction of over 1,200 additional classrooms over a period of two years and feeding of school children in expanded deprived communities.
The Sector Minister said these and other interventions had resulted in a significant increase in enrolment at the basic level of education in Ghana. She said there had been high enrollment at the kindergarten level resulting in an increase from 80.8 per cent n 2006/2007 academic year to 98.3 per cent in the 2010/2011 academic year.
Mrs Mould-Iddrisu thanked UNESCO for its support with regard to Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Ghana with the collaboration of the Government of Denmark and the World Bank.
She also expressed gratitude to UNESCO for the support received for the Lake Bosomtwi Ecological Restoration Project in Ghana.
Mrs Mould-Iddrisu called on UNESCO to prepare a Draft Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles regarding the phenomenon of global warming which had moved from an environmental and human tragedy to a global economic issue.
Ghana cast a positive vote at the historic plenary session which granted Palestine membership of UNESCO.
The Conference was attended by UNESCO's 175 member states.
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