Bush launches Africa Education Initiative
Story: Isaac Amo-Kyereme

The first lady of the United States of America, Mrs. Laura Bush’s has at Launched in Accra, Ghana President George Bush’s Africa Education Initiative Textbooks Programme.  The Textbooks and Learning Materials Programme is part of President Bush’s efforts to expand access to education in Africa. His African Education Initiative is a $600 million commitment to provide books, scholarships, school uniforms and teacher training so that more children can attend school. The African Education Initiative includes funding to train 920,000 teachers in 20 countries in sub-Saharan African. As of December, more than 300,000 new and experienced teachers had received training.

In addition to the textbook program launched, the African Education Initiative has already facilitated the shipment of over two million books to African schools and libraries. “When I visited Tanzania and Rwanda last summer, I announced the donations of books in those countries. And today, I’m pleased to announce the donation of 25,000 books for school libraries in Ghana” Mrs Bush said. 

A major goal of President Bush’s African Education Initiative is to enrol more girls in school.To meet that goal, the United States sponsors the Ambassadors Girls’ Scholarship Program, which will provide 550,000 scholarships to girls at the primary and secondary school level. So far, 120,000 scholarships have been provided in 40 countries. The scholarships pay for tuition, fees, books, uniforms, and other essential supplies. 

Mrs Laura Bush who used to be a teacher and librarian said, “I know what a joy it is to help children learn to read and write, to become proficient in mathematics, and to develop a love of history and science. A pioneering American teacher named Christa McAuliffe famously said, “I touch the future. I teach.” Each of you here touches the future of your country by teaching Ghana’s children. As teachers, as parents, and as citizens, all of us have the responsibility to ensure that every child has access to education, an education that will lead to a happy and healthy life. And when we say “every child,” we must mean every child, whether boy or girl, rich or poor. Educated children grow up to be adults who have more opportunities to work, to support their own families, and to fully participate in the life of their country. It’s so important to educate boys and girls, because boys and girls can make important contributions to our world. 

She said, education produces many social benefits, and perhaps none greater than better health. Education is our greatest ally in the effort to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. The United States is working with governments and private organizations throughout Africa to achieve this goal. We know from experience that educated girls and boys are more likely to know what HIV is, and how to avoid infection. Girls who are educated have more economic and social resources to rely on, and, therefore, have more power to negotiate their own sexual lives. In fact, educated young women have lower rates of HIV/AIDS, healthier families, and higher rates of education for their own children. 

In Ghana, more children are going to school today than ever before. The enrolment rate for school-age children has risen from 73 percent in 1998 to more than 86 percent in 2004. This is a very positive development. 

The people of the United States believe in Africa’s future. We know, as you do, that education is vital to a better future for all of the world’s children, and we’re working with you to make education available and accessible to more children in Africa. 

These textbooks will be created in Africa so they will represent the unique experiences of African students. The text will be written with African cultures at the center, and the illustrations will depict African scenes. The subjects will include reading, mathematics, science and language arts. We emphasize these subjects because it’s essential that every child learns how to read, learns how to add, subtract, multiply and divide, and learns about the world around us. Teaching materials, such as flash cards, charts and teaching guides will supplement the books and will give teachers more options in their classroom work.