FACILITATORS OF NON-FORMAL EDUCATION TO BE MOTIVATED
The Minister of Education, Hon. Alex Tettey-Enyo informed Parliament today that his Ministry has been allocated thirty thousand Ghana Cedis under this year’s budget for the purchase of incentives for facilitators of the Functional Literacy Programme of the Non-Formal Education Division, NFED. Negotiation with Development Partners to support facilitators with funding is also underway, he intimated.
NFED is tasked with the responsibility of making about 46% illiterate population of the country functionally literate by helping them read, write, calculate and acquire occupational skills to enhance their livelihood.
To enable the Division implement its programmes and policies, it recruits volunteer facilitators from communities to handle the literacy classes. The facilitators, whose role in literacy delivery is crucial, become the key links between the communities and NFED.
The Minister was responding to questions from the MP for Ablekuma Central, Hon. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie who sought to know what the Ministry is doing to ensure that facilitators of the non-formal education literacy classes are motivated during and after their services.
Hon. Tettey-Enyo also noted that there is the need to sustain the interest of the facilitators before and during their twenty one-month cycle of service, his Ministry through the NFED therefore, motivate facilitators by awarding them certificates; providing them with bicycles, roofing sheets, stereo players and sewing machines.
Community leaders such as Assemblymen and women visit the classes at the community level to interact with, and encourage facilitators to work hard; Regional and District Officers also visit facilitators regularly whiles monitoring is frequently carried out by officers from Headquarters the Minister added.
A question posed by the MP for Asunafo South, Hon. George Boakye, enquired from the Minister, the pragmatic steps his Ministry has taken to improve supervision in public basic schools in the country.
Hon. Tettey-Enyo, who responded, said his Ministry is reviewing the Headteacher’s Handbook and the School Management Committee (SMC) Manual to reflect and strengthened the current monitoring and supervision practices.
Moreover, Circuit Supervisors are provided with motor bikes to improve their mobility whiles collaborating with civil society organizations to carry out research into school administration and management to expose weaknesses in school supervision.
Earlier, the Minister for Health, Hon. Benjamin kumbour attended upon the House to respond to questions from Hons. John Gyetuah, Major (rtd) Derek Yaw Oduro, John Baloroo Doughr, Joseph Kwaku Nayan and Dr. Kojo Appiah-Kubi, MPs from Amenfi West, Nkoranza North, Lambussie, Nkwanta North and Atwima Kwanwoma respectively.
The MPs wanted to know when the Ministry of Health will provide their respective Districts with District Hospitals and District Health Directorates.
Hon. Benjamin Kumbour retorted that his Government’s policy currently is only to support where there is an existing mission hospital in a district than build a new one to compete with it.
He however assured his colleagues that the construction of district hospitals would commence as soon as budgetary allocations for capital projects submitted for consideration are approved.
Sitting resumes tomorrow.
