Improving literacy rate requires hard work

Literacy, the ability to read and write, is undoubtedly the most potent weapon needed for the transformation of any society. With literacy, societies across the world are able to fashion strategies through which they would realise their developmental agenda.It is for this reason that we are enthused that the country’s literacy rate has improved compared to previous years.

At least the recent report from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on the 2021 Population and Housing Census confirms that Ghana’s literacy rate is now at 69.8 per cent, an improvement over the 2010 census rate of 67.1 per cent.

The literacy rate of the 2021 data means that people from age six and above could read and write in any language (Daily Graphic, February 11, 2022) and this is quite assuring and good for the progress and development of a country with a high illiteracy rate.

A literate population, it must be emphasised, means having people who have a better understanding and appreciation of things going on in and around them. For instance, in rolling out initiatives to address the issue of poverty, dealing with a literate society would help fast-track such initiatives as little time would be expended in getting the people to move along.

The country is battling with issues such as the indiscriminate disposal of waste because of the high level of illiteracy as most people do not know the implications of their action, which could be the outbreak of diseases.

Indeed, the country might have made some progress with regard to an increase in the literacy rate but the Daily Graphic would like to caution that this achievement should not make us relax and go to sleep thinking we are already there. We have a long way to go and there is the need to strengthen our strategies aimed at ensuring that more people get educated by working towards enhancing our adult educational system and encouraging institutions running such programmes.

The government should find out ways through which it can collaborate with these institutions, which are mainly operated by private individuals to reach out to more people. This, it can start on a pilot basis and see how it can be expanded to cover more people, who through no fault of theirs were not able to acquire formal education.

It is also refreshing to note that the Complementary Education Agency Bill (2019), to provide for educational programmes outside the formal education system, was passed two years ago by Parliament and assented to by the President.

Under the initiative, the name of the Non-Formal Education system would be changed to the Complementary Education Agency to provide learning opportunities and complementary education for those who are outside the mainstream formal education system and help to equip requisite knowledge and skills.

The Complementary Education Agency Act, 2020 is to establish the Complementary Education Agency to oversee the provision and administration of quality complementary education and provide for related matters. This is a big step to help reduce the illiteracy rate and the Daily Graphic would like to see more action. We hope that the Ministry of Education would speed up the setting up of learning centres across the country to provide education to non-literates.

In addition, the mature students’ initiative being operated by both public and private tertiary institutions to give Ghanaians, who, as a result of one challenge or the other were not able to attain higher education the opportunity to develop themselves, is quite laudable. As a result of this, one sees many more working adults attending classes, especially during the weekends, under that initiative. These are all geared towards building a literate society. As we develop our budding democracy, the country would need more literate people.

We, therefore, expect duty bearers and all related stakeholders to step up mass education. Ghanaians now live in a globally competitive world and the country cannot be competitive if its citizens cannot make informed decisions and choices. It is largely through a literate population that the expectations of the people can easily be met.