500 Dropouts Get Another Chance

Madam Anima Achiaa, Education Director, presenting a certificate to one of the children

MORE than 500 out-of-school children in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of the Ashanti Region have benefited from government's general education development programme that provides opportunity for school dropouts to re-join formal basic school.

Dubbed Complementary Basic Education (CBE), the programme, which is a policy developed for education continuation by the Ministry of Education, teaches basic reading, writing and simple numerical skills.

The Government of Ghana in partnership with UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and USAID is implementing the programme through some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), including Link Community Development (LCD).

At a ceremony to present certificates to the graduating children at Abutantri, a farming community in the district, Samuel Ofori Boakye, Programmes Coordinator of LCD, said the project also offers opportunity for school dropouts to enter the job market because of the life skill programme.

In spite of the impressive increment in primary education over the past two decades, a significant number of Ghanaian children are still unable to attend basic school and they are subjected to joblessness and poverty in adult life, but government wants to change that situation.

Mr. Boakye stated that the aim of the literacy programme is to provide knowledge and skills to out-of-school youth and children to first access formal education and make those who cannot continue, economically productive members of society.

According to him, 40 communities were selected by the District Education Directorate and the District Assembly, and 575 children in 22 communities were selected to benefit from the project.

He disclosed that 56 of the learners dropped out from the programme for various reasons, including lack of interest.

The District Director of Education, Anima Achiaa, lauded the tiring effort of the facilitators and called on them to do more in order to meet government's expectation.

She entreated the facilitators to begin to introduce the learners to the use of English Language since the medium of instruction has always been the native language of the beneficiaries.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi