Dalun, (N/R), July 20, GNA- The School for Life (SfL), an NGO, under the auspices of the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) which is involved in non-formal education in Northern Ghana last year integrated over 6,770 of its graduates into the formal school system.
The SfL last year established 340 classes and enrolled over 8, 463 learners out of which 4,762 were boys representing 56 per cent and with 3,701 girls representing 44 per cent.
Professor Abubakr Al-Hassan, Chairman of the GDCA disclosed this at the 24th Annual General Meeting of the Association in Dalun in the Tolon/Kumbungu District of the Northern Region on Saturday. He said under the Education Quality for All (EQUALL) programme a total of 11,250 learners were enrolled in nine of its operational districts with 58 classes in the West and Central Gonja Districts, 75 classes in the East Mamprusi District, 55 classes in the Lawra District while 50 classes were established in the Talensi/Nabdam and Bongo and Bawku West Districts all in the Upper East Region. He said out of the 450 newly established classes, 297 were sited in new communities while the remaining 153 classes were additional classes within existing communities where the out-of-school population had not yet been exhausted.
Professor Al-Hassan said under the Ambassadors Girls Scholarship Programme of the GDCA a total of 680 girls benefited with 300 boys also benefiting, based upon a request that boys be included. Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister, in a speech read for him, commended the GDCA for training Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in various techniques of engaging with authorities and increasing their awareness of their civic rights and responsibilities.
He particularly praised the Tamale Metropolitan Federation of CBOs which had investigated problems confronting their communities regarding the services of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). He said the CBOs had undertaken engagement meetings with the officials of the NHIS which had resulted in drawing attention to the problems which they had started to address.
"This is what is required to give full meaning to our democracy, especially where the grassroots people who are the beneficiaries of services have the opportunity to address relevant authorities about services provided to them", Alhaji Idris said. Touching on the upcoming general elections, the Regional Minister urged the GDCA to use its radio station (Simli Radio) to educate the people on the need for peace, adding that, the country's fledging democracy needed to be fully matured and therefore Ghanaians owed it a responsibility to ensure this.
