Mrs Andrews entreated the learners to take full advantage of the programme to transform their lives and not to be distracted by the desire for money on the streets. "You are the maiden group on this project and the learning outcomes you demonstrate will provide grounds for our devel­opment partners to continue investing and scale up this project to impact more lives.

You are the future of this nation so work hard to position yourselves to help develop our dear nation.

With determination and commitment, you can achieve your dreams," she explained.

A Senior Educational Special­ist at the World Bank Ghana, Eu­nice Ackwerh, making reference to data from the 2021 population and housing census (PHC), which estimates 1.2 million children between ages 4 and 17 being out-of-school in Ghana, with 610,000 aged 15 to 17 years, said the GEOP Lot 7B project was timely to address the challenge. "The World Bank is delighted to be part of this programme which will bring real change in the lives of these children and I believe with the hard work of all key stakeholders, this project will achieve great results," she added.