By Kodjo Adams/ Christabel Kporvie, GNA
Accra, Sept. 4, GNA – The Complementary Education Agency (CEA) has enrolled 10,000 out-of-school children across four regions, 12 districts, and 320 communities as part of efforts to expand access to basic education in Ghana. Â
The Agency said the learners were expected to transition into the formal basic school system at the start of the new academic year, as it intensified efforts to reach children who remained outside the mainstream education system.
At a stakeholders’ engagement on Thursday to mark the 2026 International Literacy Day, which falls on September 8, Mr Daniel Kwasi Ashiamah, the Executive Director of CEA, in a speech read on his behalf, said the Agency had initially targeted 30,000 learners for enrolment but was forced to scale down to 10,000 because of funding constraints.
He described the Agency as a key component of Ghana’s education system alongside the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana T-VET Service, stressing the need for education delivery systems to evolve in response to changing learner needs and technological developments.
“Our strategies must evolve continually, grounded in research and shaped by consensus,” he said.
Beyond its complementary basic education programme, Mr Ashiamah said the Agency had trained 201 women in the Volta Region, while its remedial programme had enabled 205 students to return to senior high school and the TVET.
He emphasised the importance of partnerships and collaboration, saying the CEA’s approach was to achieve growth through multiplying partnerships rather than simply expanding its operations.
Mr Ashiamah said financing was not the only major challenge confronting complementary education, pointing to the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence and digital technology as another area requiring urgent attention.
He urged policymakers and development partners to deliberately incorporate out-of-school children into the country’s technology and digital education initiatives.
“If we fail in this, we will only widen the disparities among our own literacy,” he cautioned.
Mr Ashiamah announced the partnerships the CEA was seeking to strengthen its information technology capacity and modernise its education delivery systems.
Citing the 2021 Population and Housing Census, he said 63 per cent of adult women in Ghana were non-literate, describing the situation as a major obstacle to national development.
He called for collective action to improve literacy among women and girls, stressing the wider social and developmental benefits of an educated female population.
Mr Edmond Moukala, the Country Representative of UNESCO, urged policymakers to improve data collection and evidence-based assessment, stressing that measuring the number of people enrolled in learning programmes was not enough.
“What we need is better insight into not just how many people are in the classroom, but the tangible impact learning has on their quality of life,” he noted.
Mr Joshua Baidoo, Country Representative, World Vision Ghana, called for stronger national action to improve foundational literacy.
The country must also move beyond expanding access to education and place greater emphasis on learning outcomes, he added.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Kodjo Adams
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