Complementary Basic Education risk shut down, as gov’t fails to allocate resources for its implementation

The sustainability of the Complementary Basic Education programme by School for Life (SfL) seems gloomy since government has not made available budgetary allocation for its implementation. Even though consultations are still ongoing, the Complementary Basic Education policy still remains in it draft form since the programme was launched in 2013 by the Minister of Education, Prof. Nana Jane Opoku Agyemang. Speaking at a media review on the achievement, challenges and way forward for the Programm, Deputy Manager for Advocacy and Gender at School for Life (SfL) Madam Lawrencia Dakurah Abakisi pointed out that there won’t be funding for the programme when the Department for International Development (DFID) ends next year. Since its implementation, the programme is funded by Department for International Development (DFID) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service as well as      Civil Society Organizations for three years.  As it stands government has not shown much commitment to fund the programme for its continuity. According to Madam Lawrencia, the nationwide implementation of the Ghana Complementary Basic Education remains an advocacy priority for the organization. She hinted that limited resource constraints the effectiveness of the programme hence, defeating its purpose. The programme seeks to allow   marginalized children across the country access   literacy and numeracy classes in their own native language in a matter of nine (9) months before they are enrolled into either Primary three (3) or four (4). The Deputy Manager for Advocacy and Gender therefore called for a legislative instrument to back the policy to its sustainability. The programmes has targeted get back to school over 7,000 out-of-school children in five regions in the country for the three year period.                      

Source: Ramatu Alhassan