World Vision provides funds for education in Assin

Assin Foso ((C/R), May 18, GNA - The Assin Area Development Programme (ADP) of the World Vision, Ghana a Non-governmental organisation (NGO) has provided about 10 billion cedis for educational facilities over the past 10 years in the area.

The facilities included 10 blocks for kindergartens, six primary school and five Junior Secondary School blocks, six teachers' quarters and the rehabilitation of three school blocks. Mr Francis Armo-Annor, Area Manager of World Vision told the Ghana News Agency at Assin Foso that 48 youth were being sponsored in vocational institutions and Kente weaving under a programme called Youth in Vocational Education (YOUBE) initiated by the NGO to enable young people to acquire skills. He said nine girls were being sponsored in Senior Secondary School and two people in university.

Mr Armo-Annor made these known at the closing of a 10-day workshop on the use of new textbooks in Ghanaian Languages with special reference to Twi.

The workshop was organised by the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), Assistance to Teacher Education Programme (ASTEP), World Vision, Ghana and the Teacher Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES). Head teachers and teachers from the 23 schools adopted by the NGO in the Assin North and South Districts as well as some circuit supervisors participated in the workshop to equip the participants with skills to use the Twi books effectively in the Kindergarten and lower primary school. Mr Armo-Annor said the NGO recruited 30 pupil teachers to fill vacancies in schools without trained teachers and was paying their salaries, adding that, the organisation was also sponsoring some people in Teacher Training Colleges.

The World Vision Area Manager said the organisation spent 40 million cedis to organise the workshop and commended GTZ-ASTEP for producing the books on Mathematics, Environmental Studies and Literacy (Reading and Writing) in Twi, Ewe, Ga, Dagbani and Gonja. Mr Armo-Annor said support from the NGO, the District Assembly and other agencies contributed in the District being rated from the 84th position in the 2003 Basic Education Certificate Examination to 21st in 2004 and promised the organisation's commitment to continue initiating programmes to provide quality education in the two Districts. Mr Kwabena Karikari-Apau, Acting District Chief Executive advised that such workshops should be organised during school holidays so that classroom work would not be affected. He advised publishers of the books to ensure that they were made available to schools.

Mr Johnson Davis Omudie, Director of Education in charge of the two districts stated that teachers who attended the workshop would be maintained for some years to enable children in the area to benefit from their training.

He urged them to impart the skills they had acquired to teachers who could not attend the workshop. Mr Kyei Baffour, Coordinator of the workshop said materials for the printing of the books in other languages including Fante was ready but said lack of funds was delaying production.