CBE Policy Currently Under Review

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has held a day's validation and dissemination workshop on the final draft revised Complementary Basic Education (CBE) Policy to enrich the document with inputs to ensure its smooth implementation.

The overarching objective of the CBE Policy is to provide all out-of-school children aged eight to 16 years with access to an accelerated numeracy and literacy programme in their mother tongues targeted to their needs, and to enable them to acquire the basic skills required for admission to stay and complete formal basic education.

In this revised edition of the policy, which has been in existence since 2013, the MoE through the Alternative Education Agency will continue to work with non-state actors under arranged mechanisms to support the delivery of CBE programme to ensure that no child is left behind and every child is afforded the opportunity to learn.

Mr Ernest Wesley-Otoo, Head of Planning and Development Partners Coordination Unit of MoE, who made a presentation on the final draft revised CBE Policy during the workshop in Tamale on Tuesday, said under the policy, government and its partners had committed to fund the CBE programme to ensure free education for all.

The workshop was attended by representatives from Development Partners, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) including School for Life (SfL), Northern Network for Education Development, Plan International Ghana amongst others involved in the delivery of the CBE programme.

Mr Wesley-Otoo said according to the policy, government had committed to allocate annually a budget equivalent of one per cent of basic education budget towards the delivery of the CBE programme whiles harnessing the support of development partners and NGOs.

He appealed to Development Partners, CSOs, and NGOs to continue to work together and support the government to ensure success of the policy.

Alhaji Suleman Osman Saaka, Programme Manager of SfL, lauded the policy calling on stakeholders to play their roles to ensure that out-of-school in the communities had access to formal education.

Dr Leslie Casely-Hayford, Principal Development Consultant at Associates for Change, also lauded the policy saying it would go a long way to immensely tackle the issue of out-of-school children in the country.

Other participants expressed need for government to ensure adequate education infrastructure in the communities for out-of-school children who benefited from CBE programme to get space to enrol in formal schools.