The Ho Central Prisons in the Volta region has been presented with some educational materials by Pencils of Promise, a Non-governmental Organization, in partnership with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Complementary Education Agency (CEA).
The aim is to support formal education within the correctional facility in line with the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme, introduced by the government in 2020 under (Act 1055) of Parliament.
Items donated included textbooks covering various subjects, notebooks, exercise books, teachers’ resource packs, whiteboards, markers, whiteboard cleaners, and desks.
Mr. Prince Richard Dada-Addo, Volta and Oti Regional Director of the CEA at a brief presentation ceremony said, the programme’s objective is to bridge the literacy gap in Ghana and reintegrate beneficiaries into formal education or skills training, to promote self-reliance.
He said, the programme offers accelerated learning classes in local communities to out-of-school children aged 8 to 14.
After a 9-month intensive training period, many students are reintegrated into the formal education system.
Mr. Freeman Gobbah, Country Director of Pencils of Promise, highlighted the importance of providing formal education to all citizens, including those in prison, stressing the need for the government and the GES to ensure the sustainability of the Complementary Basic Education programme.
“As an organisation, our primary focus is on the traditional school system, but we also believe that education as right, should not only be limited to those in the formal school system, but should be accessible to everyone including prison inmates,” he said.
C/Supt. Francis Dotsey, the Deputy Commander of the Ho Central Prisons, expressed gratitude for the donation and acknowledged the prison’s efforts to provide formal education to 50 student-inmates under the CBE programme.
He appealed for regular supply of teaching and learning materials to the facility to support both current and future student-inmates.
Mr Forgive Yao Agohah the Volta Regional Public Relations Officer of the GES, assured that the directorate would supervise the use of the donated items to ensure their proper utilization and positive impact on education for all.
