IDP Foundation's CEO Corina Gardner and Country Director Stephen Caleb Opuni talked to Next Billion about the urgency of the current learning loss due to the COVID 19 pandemic, and how that within the development sector there is often a significant disconnect between the global debate over whether the non-state sector should play a role in the global education landscape – and the reality on the ground.

Following on from IDP Foundation's webinar, News Ghana highlighted our call for recognition and support of low-fee private schools. "According to the Foundation, patronage of low-fee private schools (LFPS) by low-income families who constitute 48% of the population, has been increasing over the years – hence the need for a state-led intervention to boost education."

IDP Foundation's Executive Director, Corina Gardner recently spoke to Liz Longley at Inside Philanthropy about IDP Foundation’s support of the affordable non-state education sector – specifically low-fee private schools, and why we believe building their sustainability is key to tackling the continuing education crisis.

“If low-fee private schools did not exist today, the number of out of school children that we would have to deal with would be at alarming levels,” observed Stephen Opuni, the Country Director for the IDP Foundation in Ghana.

Before schools started to reopen this spring, more than 80 public education instructors in Ghana participated in virtual training sessions that featured Sesame Street Muppets Zobi and Kami, along with Ghanaian actress Matilda Asante playing their teacher Ms. Efia.

Financial assistance to school proprietors provides urgent relief to low-fee private schools, helping them to reopen, and preventing permanent closures.

The IDP Foundation, Inc. (IDPF), dedicated to encouraging and supporting sustainable solutions to complex global issues, has partnered with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), established by the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) to make a teacher-training programme IDPF-developed with Sesame Workshop, available to pre-service teacher education institutions in Ghana

IDP Foundation is disbursing urgent relief funds to the most vulnerable low-fee private schools that have participated in their IDP Rising Schools Program (IDPFRSP) in Ghana.

Ghana has joined those countries planning to reopen schools closed indefinitely in March last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.