The Bono East Regional Islamic Education Unit has launched a five-year strategic plan, dubbed Vision 2030, to improve academic performance and raise the standard of Islamic schools across the region.

The initiative aims to move Islamic schools from their current position in regional performance rankings to the top by 2030.

The declaration was made at a stakeholders' engagement held at Tanoso Imam Seidu Islamic School in the Techiman Municipality.

The meeting brought together officials of the regional unit, headteachers, proprietors, circuit supervisors, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and School Management Committee (SMC) chairpersons, assembly members and imams from the Tanoso circuit.

The five-year plan will focus on discipline, teacher motivation, academic excellence and moral upbringing.

Bono East Regional Manager of the Islamic Education Unit, Alhaji Ahmed Ushau Shahid, said the first step was to involve stakeholders in school administration and clarify their respective roles.

Speaking to a reporter on the sidelines of the meeting, he said the engagement would involve PTAs, SMCs, chiefs, old students and school administrators.

"I've realised that first and foremost the stakeholders who are supposed to be part of the school administration are not, so I first have to engage them ranging from the PTA, SMC, the chiefs, old students and the school administration to know their functions, to know what to do to contribute to the development of the school," he said.

He said the next phase would focus on infrastructure, followed by improvements in academic performance.

Mr Shahid also stressed the need to recruit quality teachers who could deliver effectively, rather than focusing solely on academic certificates.

"If we have all of these in place, within four years, I think there will be a paradigm shift as far as Islamic education is concerned," he added.

Explaining the urgency behind the initiative, Mr Shahid said Islamic schools placed 27th out of 70 schools in the region's previous Junior High School (JHS) performance rankings.

"At our last meeting where we had the league table for JHS results, out of 70 schools, Islamic schools placed 27th and I said no, this cannot be," he said.

He expressed confidence that the measures outlined under Vision 2030 would improve infrastructure, academic performance and moral development, with the ultimate goal of placing Islamic schools first in the Bono East Region.

The Islamic Education Unit plans to extend its school visits beyond the 22 Islamic schools in the Techiman Municipality to all 89 schools across the Bono East Region as part of efforts to achieve the target.