Addressing a congregation at the Executive Community Church in Kasoa during a Mother’s Day celebration on Sunday, Rev. Fordjour condemned the persistent practice of labelling elderly mothers as witches—a trend often fueled by some religious leaders.

He emphasized the need for society to honour and care for mothers who have spent their lives nurturing families, urging the public to reject harmful superstitions in favor of love, respect, and gratitude.

Rev. Fordjour’s remarks were echoed by several women at the event, who stressed the importance of celebrating motherhood and urged men to take responsibility for their actions, especially in cases of unplanned pregnancies.

The event served as a powerful reminder to uphold the dignity of mothers and promote a culture of compassion and accountability.

He highlighted that despite the NDC’s initial criticism, they are now attempting to claim credit for the policy.

“The NDC previously criticized the free SHS policy, saying it could not be implemented. They said it was unintelligent but now they have made a U-turn claiming they started it,” he said.

Speaking during the third edition of Adom TV’s Badwam Sectorial Debate held at the Accra Digital Center on Friday, Rev. Ntim Fordjour emphasized the significant impact of the Free SHS program.

He noted that, enrollment increased from 830,000 to 1.48 million students due to the benefits provided.

The deputy Minister also pointed out that the government implemented several interventions, including printing enough textbooks for schools, which contributed to record-breaking performance in the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

“For the first time, over 50% of students passed their core subjects, a trend that has continued to improve since 2020,” he stressed.

The Deputy Minister also debunked the NDC’s claims that the Free SHS program is heavily indebted, insisting that students are well cared for with three square meals provided daily.

“The students eat three square meals and are being taken care of properly. Over 450,000 tablets were supplied to students,” Rev. Ntim Fordjour said.

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The event, attended by global education leaders and policymakers at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, provided a platform for Mr Fordjour to highlight Ghana’s innovative approaches and achievements in improving its education system.

At the UNESCO high-level dialogue, he emphasised Ghana’s commitment to enhancing access to quality education for all.

He outlined key initiatives and reforms that have been implemented to address challenges and foster positive changes in the education sector.

These initiatives include improvements in infrastructure, curriculum development, teacher training, and the adoption of technology to support learning outcomes.

The Assin South lawmaker underscored Ghana’s progress in increasing enrollment rates and improving educational outcomes at various levels.

He pointed out specific programs aimed at promoting inclusive education and reducing disparities, particularly in underserved communities and among vulnerable populations.

The dialogue also provided an opportunity for Fordjour to exchange ideas and best practices with international counterparts.

He highlighted collaborative efforts between Ghana and UNESCO in advancing global education agendas, including sustainable development goals related to education, equity, and lifelong learning.

“At the just ended High-Level Dialogue on Education Finance and Digital Learning at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, we highlighted the strides made through Ghana’s innovative financing approach of GALOP and the wave of digital learning transformation in our schools.”

“GALOP, a results-based intervention, has seen the transformation of learning outcomes in 10,579 basic schools across Ghana with the support of the World Bank, GPE and FCDO UK. Additional innovative financing called Ghana Education Outcomes Fund has within the first year, impacted some 17,000 out-of-school children who got reintegrated into schools, out of a target of 70,000 OOSC.”

“Digital learning content and platforms such as Learning Passport, MineCraft, iBox and iCampus, have been deployed into schools by CENDLOS to ensure 21st-century learning is accessible for free digitally,” he posted on X.

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Academic activities in some districts in the Volta Region have been disrupted as a result of the devastating floods.

Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Wednesday, he praised the tutors for ensuring the safety of students.

He assured that, measures are being put in place to address the educational challenges in the area.

“We commend the teachers because when the spillage started they were in schools and they ensured no student was harmed. We are going to continue deliberations from our fact-finding report we obtained from all the assessments that have been done,” he said.

The Deputy Minister said the Education Ministry is also focused on ensuring that a conducive environment is created in the affected areas for school-going children.

“Discussions are ongoing for the creation of a temporal pavilion close to the safe havens for teaching and learning” he added.

Rev. Fordjour disclosed that, learning is still ongoing in some areas.

He indicated that a workable plan is being considered to suit all students in affected areas.

“At this moment, it will be very early to arrive at a specific option, because you have a combination of options that may work for certain parts of the affected areas. There will be some decisions that may not be prudent for certain parts of the affected areas,” he added.

Meanwhile, Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has led a delegation to visit some affected areas.

The Ministry donated relief items including books and stationaries to school children in the hard-hit areas.

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