Adult Learners get financial assistance

Wa, Jan. 15, GNA- The Non-Formal Education Division (NFED), of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, last year disbursed about 200 million cedis to 31 groups of learners, under the Ministry's poverty reduction component of the Functional Literacy Programme, in the Upper West Region.

Mr Abdullah Bin Salih, the Regional Director of NFED, who said this in an interview with the GNA in Wa at the Weekend, explained that the component of the programme, which was sponsored by the World Bank, was aimed at assisting beneficiaries to undertake income-generating activities to empower them economically.

He said the recipients of the money will undertake farming, shea butter extraction, groundnut extraction and pito brewing. Mr Bin Salih said the amounts disbursed were loans that were being repaid and the recovery rate was good with some of the beneficiary groups repaying their loans in full.

He said a total of 76,954 people was currently enrolled as adult learners through out the region, out of which 36,118 was made up of women, and they will all pass out in batches by the end of August, this year.

Mr Bin Salih said 6,000 adult learners passed out during the first phase of the programme and the second phase of the Functional Literacy programme ended in July last year.

He said a proposal was being drafted for the World Bank to sponsor the third phase of the plan.

Mr Bin Salih said 38 English Language Facilitators have been trained to handle 3,340 adults who have registered for the English language classes, under the adult literacy programme.

He said the adult literacy drop-out rate was very low in the region and this occurred mostly in the dry season when some young adult learners migrated to the southern parts of the country to look for work.