Technical Programs Manager of World Vision International (WVI), Andrew Ofosu Dankyi, says it is laudable that the literacy rate in Ghana increased to 79 per cent in 2018. He said it is a good thing for national development.
He is however of the view that “there is more work to be done to increase the literacy rate in Ghana hence the need to mark World Literacy Day on September, 8 to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society”.
The celebration will be a webinar on the theme, ‘Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide’.
Speaking on TV3’s New Day, Mr Denkyi said the pandemic increased inequalities in accessing learning opportunities in literacy which affected a huge number of adults and children, and therefore, the celebration also seeks to devise ways to solve literacy problems.
“As a nation, we do not appreciate the role of literacy in the country. We need to sit up and take a look at deliberate reading because if learners are unable to read, then they cannot learn any other concept and this will affect the country’s development”, he said.
Speaking on efforts by the WVI to contribute to the literacy rate in the country, the Technical Programs Manager said advocacy learning materials and technological learning tools were supplied to some students in rural areas to ensure continued learning during the intense wave of the pandemic.
He stated that “learning was difficult for some beneficiaries because they did not have access to electricity. While their colleagues in most urban areas were making progress with their learning, they were far behind”.
Mr Dankyi added that the advocacy organisation brought up some technologies during the pandemic which will be discussed during the webinar to finally decide on suitable ones that can be adapted to facilitate teaching and learning activities.
He advised the government and all stakeholders of education to uphold deliberate reading “because it aids learners to gain a better understanding of learning concepts”.
Speaking on textbooks for teaching and learning in connection with the educational curriculum, he stated that “textbooks are supposed to be used as a backup for teaching so with or without textbooks, teachers should be able to teach”.
He urged all citizens with an interest in education and national development to join the celebration by accessing the links displayed on the organization’s social media platforms.
Source: myghanadaily
