By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, Dec 03, GNA – A year-long activity to commemorate the celebration of the contribution of School for Life, an NGO, towards the provision of quality education for children in the country has been launched.
It is on the theme: “30 Years of Inspiring Access to Quality Education in Ghana”.
It will see School for Life embarking on series of activities including facilitating a CSOs’ dialogue with the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament in the next administration, School for Life community service day, media engagement, fundraising dinner, recognition of both past and present staff, fun activities, staff retreat and challenge amongst others.
The launch was attended by various stakeholders in the education sector, CSOs, traditional and religious authorities, NGOs, partners, community members and individuals.
It was also used to inaugurate its Alumni Network to serve as cadre of activists and ambassadors of School for Life.
Madam Wedad Sayibu, Director of School for Life, speaking during the launch in Tamale, said it marked the beginning of series of events and activities planned in commemoration of the 30 years of achievements and learnings as an organisation, which started in the Eastern Corridor enclave amidst a protracted ethnic conflict in 1994.
She said over the years, the organisation remained resilient and continued to grow from strength to strength through difficult and challenging times, adding it was poised to open a new chapter filled with innovative and impactful activities.
She said since the inception of School for Life, it had delivered complex, large-scale impact and target driven education initiatives, which had benefited the most deprived and disadvantaged population in the country, especially in rural communities.
She said School for Life’s approach had been grounded in local stakeholders’ consultation, tailored to the local context, and cultivating local ownership of all interventions.
Madam Sayibu mentioned the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme, which had so far been adopted by the government after years of advocacy by CBE Alliance and had so far reached out to over 400,000 beneficiaries, of which most of them were now professionals in various fields including university lecturers, nurses, teachers, and other development practitioners.
She said beyond the CBE programme, School for Life also focused its work on other areas such as teacher professional development, school governance and management, systems strengthening and accountability as well as evidence-based advocacy and policy influencing, citizen-led social accountability processes to promote equitable access to quality basic education.
She recognised the tremendous support of both past and present partners including the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), YEFL-Ghana, Oxfam in Ghana, the United States Agency for International Development, the Danish International Development Agency, Associates for Change, the Global Partnership for Education, STAR Ghana Foundation, the Complementary Education Agency amongst other partners and donors.
Dr Osman Al-Hassan, Board Chairperson, GDCA was happy that School for Life had achieved a lot and was still fulfilling its mission.
He called for more collaborative efforts between the government and other development partners to work together to improve the quality of education delivery in the country.
Dr Leslie Casely-Hayford, a Development Consultant and Director of Associates for Change, commended School for Life for its sustained commitment and dedication towards designing and scaling up one of the continent’s most important education innovations, which had proven to be an essential alternative pathway and education delivery system for millions of children.
Sagnar-Naa Yakubu Abdulai, Paramount Chief of Sagnarigu Traditional Area in the Northern Region, pledged his readiness to contribute to the fundraising initiative to support School for Life implement its activities.
Mr Abdul Rahman Beyom Ibrahim, President of School for Life Alumni Network, on behalf of members, pledged to work assiduously towards supporting the organisation’s activities to help maximise its impact in communities.
GNA