Parliament has approved a $300 million credit facility agreement between the Government of Ghana and the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group to finance the Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Relevance and Results for Jobs (STARR-J) Project.
The agreement also requires the Government of Ghana to provide counterpart funding of $31 million, which will be released in phases during the implementation of the project.
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The financing proposal was presented to Parliament on July 16, 2026, in accordance with Article 181(2) of the 1992 Constitution before being referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and a report under the Standing Orders of Parliament.
The STARR-J Project is designed to expand access to secondary education, improve the quality and relevance of teaching and learning, strengthen education management systems and provide a framework for responding to emergencies that may affect the education sector.
A major component of the project will focus on increasing equitable access to secondary education through the rehabilitation, upgrading and construction of secondary schools, including the completion of abandoned E-Block school projects.
The project will also support improvements in the quality of secondary education through teacher professional development, curriculum reforms, digital skills training, entrepreneurship education and stronger collaboration between schools and industry.
In addition, the programme will strengthen education management information systems, project monitoring and evaluation, communications, gender-based violence prevention initiatives and performance-based reforms across the sector.
The fourth component is a Contingent Emergency Response Component, which will enable the rapid mobilisation of resources to respond to eligible emergencies affecting the education system.
According to the Finance Committee, the project aims to increase equitable access to secondary education, eliminate the double-track system, improve the quality and labour market relevance of secondary and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes, and strengthen project management, monitoring, evaluation and evidence-based decision-making.
The committee said the investment is expected to improve the quality, equity and relevance of secondary education through expanded school infrastructure, enhanced teaching quality and better preparation of students for the workforce, while supporting the transition of all students into a single-track system.
Following its consideration of the agreement, the Finance Committee recommended that Parliament approve the $300 million IDA credit facility to support the implementation of the STARR-J Project.
