As part of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration’s transition to become a Centre of Excellence in Educational Planning, Administration and Leadership as a UNESCO Category II Institute, the delegation from the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration who attended the 207th session Executive Board in Paris took the opportunity to visit the International Institute for Educational Planning on Friday, October 18 2019.

The delegation which was led by, Honorable Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, (Minister for Education) included Prof Joseph Ghartey Ampiah (the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast) , Dr. (Bro.) Michael Amakyi (Director of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration), Prof. Yaw Afari Ankomah (former Director of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration), Mr. Benjamin Gyasi (Chief Director of Education), Mrs. Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, (Secretary-General of NATCOM Ghana) and Mr. Riche-Mike Wellington (NATCOM Ghana).

The delegation met with the Director-General of IIEP and some of the selected staff of IIEP to explore possible areas of collaboration between the two institutions. The IIEP is seen as a strategic partner as IEPA strives to mobilize regional and educational experts to create an inter-governmental consortium to provide technical assistance and policy advice to support member states in the Sub-region to build robust education systems and data bases that guarantee reliable educational information for policy formulation and implementation in the Sub-region. The Minister stressed the timeliness of the approval of the Executive Board for IEPA to become a Category II Institute. He opined that the idea of a Category II Institute could not have come at a better time as the Sub-region was faced with myriad of challenges for which UNESCO Priority Africa Programme seeks to address.  The delegation shared the salient elements of IEPA’s strategic plan, touching on the four strategic thrusts that addressed challenges in key areas of educational planning, administration and leadership. The four thrust are;

1.    Building and strengthening capacity of educational planners, administrators and leaders in the West African Sub-region.
2.    Supporting education ministries within the Sub-region to undertake sector-wide planning, policy development and implementation.
3.    Undertaking cutting-edge research, consultancy, and promoting innovation in education service delivery towards the attainment of the Education 2030 Agenda.
4.    Creating a platform for discussion of topical issues in education and provide policy advice to Minister of Education of Member States.

The visit ended with the two institutions agreeing to work together in the near future. Gallery here