USAID to support ‘low-cost private schools’ with $14m investment

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a new $14 million investment to support rural Ghana’s low-cost private school sector, the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has said.

In a social media post sighted by AcademicWeek, the management of the Private Schools Council said over 52,000 students in low-cost private schools across the country are expected to benefit from the $14 million fund.

“Ghana National Council of Private Schools is honoured to support this leap forward in helping parents afford school fees, connecting teachers to training and support, and helping school owners grow and improve their institutions of learning,” it stated.

With 43% of the population living in rural areas, the Council of Private Schools said the partnership will build a foundation of education access for private school students in some of the hardest-to-reach regions of the country.

Thanks to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for your commitment to the students of Ghana. We are —we are proud to stand with you in your efforts to increase education access and quality,” GNACOPS noted.

Grace Lang, the USAID Deputy Mission Director said commenting on the $14 million investment said “A quality education should not depend on where you live.  We want every child to have access to quality education

The $14 million activity we are launching today will support low-cost private schools that serve rural and disadvantaged communities. 

It will support those schools to improve education access, quality, and learning outcomes for students, and increase private sector investments in northern Ghana.”

The $14m investment comes after the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOP) engaged the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Opportunity International to support private schools in the country.

In a post sighted by AcademicWeek, the Private Schools Council said the meeting is geared toward a 5-year Capacity Building Training Programme for school administrators and owners of schools in the Northern part of Ghana.

“The Ghana National Council for Private Schools has activated conversions toward a 5-year Capacity Building Training Programme for school administrators and owners of schools in the Northern part of Ghana,” the School Council said.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.

Opportunity International is a 501 nonprofit organization chartered in the United States of America. The opportunity provides small business loans, savings, insurance and training to more than 14 million people in the developing world.