‘Lack of infrastructure affecting complementary education’
Mr Francis Asumadu, the Executive Director, Complementary Education Agency (CEA), has noted that the lack of infrastructure has seriously affected the performance of complementary education in the country.
He said academic activities organised by the Agency were held in church auditoriums, mosques, uncompleted buildings, under trees, individual homes and other open spaces across the country.
“These structures, admittedly, do not create the positive image about our country’s education sector. The environment is not conducive for quality teaching and learning activities,” Mr Asumadu said.
The Executive Director was speaking on Friday at a national durbar to commemorate the 2022 International Literacy Day (ILD), at Kenyasi, in the Ahafo Region.
It was held under the country’s specific theme, “Transforming literacy learning paces for quality, equitable and inclusive education for all” with a call on government to provide equal attention to CEA.
Mr Asumadu indicated that the ILD under the auspices of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), was set aside to raise awareness of the detriment of illiteracy in the world.
He said the Agency was bedeviled with the lack of operational logistics, including vehicles, office resources, and teaching and learning materials such as textbooks, and lack of motivated and skilled facilitators.
Mr Asumadu said about 20 per cent of Ghana’s population was not functionally literate to access 21st century skills of creativity, innovation, digital literacy and emotional intelligence, for personal wellbeing and societal development.
He stated that the CEA with the support of UNESCO National Office have developed a policy document to direct and coordinate literacy learning spaces in the country.
“UNESCO strongly advocates the establishment of multipurpose Complementary Learning Centres (CLCs) for all out-of-schools learning to include digital interface for all social media platforms, ICT learning and TVET skills centre,” Mr Asumadu added.
He solicited support of corporate organisations, institutions and individuals, to partner CEA, traditional authorities and the Assembly, to build a multipurpose CLC in the Asutifi North district.
Mr Asumadu expressed appreciation to the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, UNESCO, the Asutifi North District Assembly (ANDA), chiefs and other stakeholders, for supporting this year’s ILD celebration.
FROM EMMANUEL ADU GYAMFI, KENYASI
