MP urges support for functional literacy programme

Techiman (B/A), May 17, GNA - Mr. Prince Oduro-Mensah, Member of Parliament for Techiman South in Brong Ahafo has urged Ghanaians to offer support for the successful implementation of the National Functional Literacy Programme (NFLP).

He made the call at the close of an eight-day capacity building workshop for 65 regional and district training team members of the Non-Formal Education Division (NFED) in Techiman.

The MP expressed regret that the activities of NFED were criticised during the 2000 electioneering campaigns by opposition parties "for the mere fact that many people did not know the relevance and mission of the programme."

Mr. Oduro-Mensah stressed the need for greater attention to be given to the programme so that adult learners could meaningfully contribute towards national development. He advised the participants to use the knowledge they had acquired at the workshop to push the programme forward.

Mr. Kwabena Agyeman-Badu, Nkoranza District Director of Education, who was the guest speaker, called for a closer working relationship between NFED and the Ghana Education Service (GES) for the promotion of both formal and non-formal education programmes in the districts. "A little education one receives expands one's mental faculty, hence there is the need for illiterates to be educated to enable them to add some quality and value to their lives," he said.

The District director announced that the government had provided some incentive packages for the education of the wards of illiterate adult women who would enrol for the functional literacy classes and urged the officials of the programme to encourage more women to patronise it.

Mrs. Isabella Buagbe, Head of the Field Operations Unit of the NFED disclosed that the division had envisaged training about 300,000 adult learners throughout the country this year.

She emphasised that the programme was community-based and urged community leaders such as assembly members, chiefs, religious leaders and opinion leaders to support the facilitators to ensure the sustainability and success of the programme.

The NFED Regional Co-ordinator, Mr. Kwasi Oppong, commended the participants for their high sense of maturity and comportment at the workshop centre and urged them to maintain such spirit.

He urged the participants to use the knowledge and skills they had acquired for the success of the programme and to help the new groups and the adult learners to improve their living standards.

The rapporteur general of the course, Mr. Amponsah Kusi-Kakabo, in a report appealed to the sponsors and implementers of the NFLP to consider providing some remuneration to the facilitators to boost their morale to ensure effective performance.