Communities of Excellence programme: Changing narrative of literacy
The Ministry of Education has initiated many interventions in the education sector, ostensibly to improve access to quality education for all in Ghana.
These programmes have contributed to enhancing learning and development.
One such intervention is the Communities of Excellence Programme (CEP). It is meant to boost quality learning outcomes in communities through literacy.
The CEP, funded by BigWin Philanthropy, is being implemented by the Ministry of Education agencies, the Complementary Education Agency and the Ghana Education Service, with coordination from the Ministry's Reform Delivery Unit.
The National Standardised Test is organised annually across the country to evaluate the proficiency levels of basic school children.
The findings have not been encouraging, as many of these children cannot read fluently with comprehension, which affects their progression on the educational ladder.
Hence, to correct the inefficiencies, the Communities of Excellence Programme has been rolled out to imbibe the culture of literacy and numeracy among the children in the communities.
Furthermore, the Communities of Excellence Programme seeks to build a network of highly literate communities across Ghana, where every citizen is empowered to contribute meaningfully to socio-economic transformation.
The programme aims at ensuring that at least 90 per cent of Primary Four learners achieve grade proficiency level in literacy and numeracy, 90 per cent of Junior High School learners pass the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and transition to Senior High School, and 90 per cent of Senior High School learners to pass the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and qualify for tertiary education.
This ensures that these children return to their communities to improve their socio-economic development.
Community Volunteers (CV), reading clinics
Presently, the Communities of Excellence is being piloted in 40 Districts in 332 communities. Children in these communities are expected to receive extra tuition after school each day to strengthen their literacy proficiency level.
This is what the programme terms as “Reading Clinic”. Community Volunteers employ innovative ways to support the children through storytelling, play-based learning and STEM activities to allow the children to interact and engage each other’s company through learning.
It is worth saying that through interactive learning, the children don’t improve their literacy skills alone but develop some life essentials such as communication, teamwork and critical thinking.
The Reading Clinics provide a unique opportunity for the children to read without the pressure of the formal classroom environment.
Additionally, structured support, creative learning methods and peer interaction work in tandem to cultivate and inculcate the character of reading in the children while improving literacy.
In addition, the CEP will lead to lasting solutions to reading deficiencies among these school children. In other words, these children will be prepared for higher academic progression and engender the edge for lifelong learning.
Stakeholders
The programme appeals to key stakeholders, whose involvement in decision-making cannot be ignored.
They reign supreme in the development of the communities.
These are paramount to the success of the quality learning outcome process.
The stakeholders include the traditional authorities, religious bodies, parents and guardians, community volunteers, teachers, learners and the parent-teacher association.
The individual capabilities of the stakeholders are harnessed to the learning advantage of the child, who is at the centre of the intervention.
The stakeholders are to collaborate with and support schools and Community Volunteers to attain the set targets of improving the academic performance of basic school pupils.
Despite the above responsibilities charged to the stakeholders, there is a need to realise that the academic performance of these basic school pupils is not the sole responsibility of the teacher or the community volunteer.
Instead, it is a shared concern.
The parents and guardians have the onus to support the children in day-to-day learning. In other words, some responsibilities are enjoined on the parents and guardians, and what is charged on the Community Volunteers, which they are all expected to deliver.
The cardinal aim of this programme is to improve the academic performance of these children and ensure that the era of zero per cent pass rate is a thing of the past.
Head, Corporate Affairs,
Complementary Education Agency.
E-mail: ayalolo4@gmail.com
