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The Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Regional Center of Quality and Excellence in Education (RCQE), Saudi Arabia, to collaborate on projects in meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.

In a signing ceremony which took place virtually concurrently in RCQE and IEPA in Cape Coast, the Director of IEPA, Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom remarked that, “IEPA is excited to be partnering with other Category II Institutes in education beyond West Africa, to learn, share ideas and partner on research. This partnership with RCQE is one of many that will promote the advancement of educational planning and excellence in West Africa specifically and globally as a whole.”

The Director General of RCQE, Dr. Abdulrahman I. Al Medaires who signed on RCQE’s part, was very positive about the partnership. He indicated RCQE’s unwavering support to see to the implementation of the tenets of the MOU. He further said that, Saudi Arabia has had good relations with Ghana and that IEPA’s attainment of a UNESCO Category II Status, further strengthens the bond already existing between the two countries for greater impact.

Note worthily, RCQE is the first UNESCO Category II centre in the world under the auspices of UNESCO that is specialized in issues of quality and excellence.  RCQE is a significant initiative in the international development of education by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It concentrates on issues of quality and excellence in education and the provision of high-quality services to drive excellence.

The Head of Communications and Public Relations at IEPA, Nana Efua Rockson, explained after the signing that, “this MOU, among other things, spelt out the modalities for collaborations in the areas of research, capacity building and educational technical support. IEPA is poised to raise the standards of educational excellence higher and that, such collaborations are essential in continually re-defining the implementation of IEPA’s Strategic Thrusts”.

It would be recalled that IEPA last year was officially assigned a UNESCO Category II status for the West African sub-region, the first of its kind in West Africa. After forty-five years of successfully training and developing Ghana’s educational planners, administrators and leaders, it now has the blue-print to extend that success to the West African sub-region.

IEPA’s establishment as a UNESCO Category II Centre is a testament to the Government of Ghana’s commitment to implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 which seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”