The government has announced plans to upgrade infrastructure and improve learning outcomes in 210 senior high schools (SHSs), senior high technical schools and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions under a $331 million World Bank-funded project.
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, said the Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Relevance and Results (STARR-J) Project is designed to expand access to secondary education while improving the quality and relevance of training offered to students.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, July 20, Mr Iddrisu said Cabinet has approved the project, with Parliament expected to consider the agreement.
He explained that the project will focus on expanding and rehabilitating critical infrastructure in beneficiary schools, including classrooms, dormitories and science laboratories.
“The STARR-J project will cover some 210 schools across senior high school and senior high technical vocational schools and TVET schools across the country,” he said.
According to the Minister, 112 schools will benefit from rehabilitation works, while 38 TVET institutions will receive infrastructure upgrades.
“In all, 150 schools will benefit from our rehabilitation and will see some expansion in their infrastructure by way of dormitory, classroom and laboratories,” he added.
Mr Iddrisu further disclosed that the project will support the upgrading of some schools to improve access to quality secondary education.
Under the initiative, 30 Category C schools will be upgraded to Category B status, while 20 Category B schools will be elevated to Category A.
The Minister said the intervention forms part of government’s broader efforts to address infrastructure gaps in secondary education, which he identified as one of the major challenges affecting the implementation of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme.
He added that improving school facilities and expanding capacity will help create better learning conditions for students across the country.
