The Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has announced that a frantic effort was being made to educate thousands of out-of-school children in the country.

He mentioned the Ghana Education Outcomes Project (GEOP) which seeks to ensure the training and reintegration of out-of-school children as well as improving learning outcomes in the project schools scheduled to start in January next year as one of such interventions being executed by the Education Ministry to educate such children.

Speaking at a stakeholder’s engagement with Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in the education space in Accra on Monday, Dr Adutwum, also mentioned other interventions being executed by the Complementary Education Agency in collaboration with other agencies to bring education closer to others especially adults in the inner cities and Zongo communities.

The GEOP is being implemented in 29 Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts in seven regions in the country.

The CSOs who were at the meeting were educated on what GEOP was, why GEOP, what informed the project, what benefit would GEOP bring to the selected districts as well as who was eligible for the project among others.

He commended the CSO’s for their support and roles they were playing to ensure the development of education in the country since education was the greatest tool that could help reduce poverty among the populace irrespective of location, religion, social status and political affiliation.

The Education Minister indicated that winning the war against illiteracy in the country and the rest of the world requires the collective effort of all stakeholders both locally and abroad, calling on all and sundry to continue working very hard to help attain any such set goals.

“Let’s have a look at the landless class in the cities or the inner city. The city has taken over their land. This nation is not utilizing the talents of the underprivileged. The integration schools population would also benefit. So their talents can also be brought to the fore for the development of this country”. Dr Adutwum said.

He lauded the World Bank, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office (FCDO), Education Outcome Funds (EOF) and all the implementing agencies that are supporting the GEOP, adding that it came at the right time to save the situation with the out-of-school children.

The Education Minister called for support by all and sundry to work together to rid the streets of children and lauded the Gender Ministry and others for their effort toward the project.

Again, Dr Adutwum who is the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe commended the Foreign Affairs Ministry for repatriating children from Niger and other Sahel countries who flooded the streets some time ago.

The GEOP Coordinator, Hajia Nana Fatima High, commended the CSO and other stakeholders for their roles played so far towards the development of education in the country.

She explained that the project when successful would go a long way to help many children out of the streets and prevent them from the various dangers they were exposed to such as social vices.

The Coordinator was upbeat that the project would help reduce the illiteracy rate in the country, especially in the rural areas and some communities in some urban centres in the country.

Hajia Nana Fatima High said there was a need for all stakeholders in the project to play their roles effectively to ensure the success of the project.

She stated that Ghana has made significant progress in improving access in recent years leading to a rapidly increasing enrolment however any child who is left out of school is one child too many.

The Executive Director of Child Right International, Mr Bright Appiah, lauded the Education Ministry for bringing the CSO on board the projects so they could support its execution.

He pledged the CSO’s readiness to ensure that the project becomes a success to help reduce the number of children on the streets as well as support teaching and learning in the project schools