Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has announced a 2030 target to significantly improve foundational literacy, numeracy and psychosocial development among children aged four to eight in public and low-fee private schools across the country.
She said the target formed part of the government’s 2026–2040 Foundational Learning Agenda, which seeks to address learning gaps and ensure that children acquire essential skills during their early years of education.
Speaking at the launch of the agenda in Accra on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the initiative was intended to strengthen the foundations upon which children’s subsequent education and future opportunities depended.
She stressed that Ghana’s education system could not achieve its objectives if learners were unable to read, write and count confidently.
“A fundamental truth is that our education system cannot succeed if our children cannot read, write or count confidently,” she said.
According to the Vice President, while successive governments have made significant investments in expanding access to education, improving infrastructure and developing teachers, access to school alone is not enough.
She said equal attention must be given to the knowledge and abilities children acquire as they progress through the education system.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang explained that the early years were particularly important because they were when children developed language, literacy and numeracy skills that supported their ability to learn independently and explore new subjects.
She noted that children began developing language skills long before they could speak, stressing the need for education systems to nurture their natural curiosity through appropriate teaching and support.
The Vice President also linked foundational learning to Ghana’s broader economic ambitions, including industrial development, agricultural processing, enterprise growth and the creation of better employment opportunities.
She said achieving these ambitions required a workforce capable of learning, reasoning, adapting and applying knowledge to practical situations.
“An economy that produces more of what it consumes, processes more of its agricultural outputs and develops competitive industries requires people who can learn, reason, adapt and apply knowledge in practical ways,” she said.
On equity in education, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang observed that children entered school with different levels of preparation and support, with some having access to learning resources at home while others depended largely on their schools.
She said improving foundational education would help reduce the extent to which a child’s future opportunities were determined by the circumstances of their birth.
As part of the new agenda, the government is proposing curricular revisions to give Ghanaian languages a stronger role in early literacy instruction.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the proposed programme would be piloted before wider implementation, subject to Cabinet approval.
She expressed support for the increased use of Ghanaian languages in early literacy education, describing it as an important component of the proposed reforms.
The Vice President said the agenda also provided clear milestones for assessing progress, with the 2030 target expected to serve as a benchmark for measuring improvements in children’s learning outcomes.
She indicated that the target would require improvements across gender, geographical location, ability and socioeconomic circumstances.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang commended the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, and his team for developing the long-term agenda but urged them to ensure effective coordination among institutions and stakeholders.
She called on the Ministry of Education to build on successful interventions, address existing shortcomings and avoid unnecessary duplication of programmes.
She further urged education authorities to monitor results closely, identify schools and learners requiring additional support, and make adjustments as implementation progressed.
The Vice President also called on teachers, parents, education authorities and development partners to sustain their collaboration in improving learning outcomes.
Ghana’s Foundational Learning Agenda 2026–2040 was launched under the theme, “Foundational Learning: The Bedrock of Ghana’s Sustainable Future.”
The launch featured the unveiling of the Foundational Learning Ecosystem Framework and strategic documents, the handover of learning materials, the inauguration of the National Foundational Learning Working Group and the signing of a National Foundational Learning Compact.
Declaring the agenda officially launched, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang called for sustained commitment to ensuring that Ghanaian children acquire the essential skills needed to succeed in school and contribute to national development.
By Evelyn Tengmaa
