Save Complementary Education Agency From Collapse

Personnel at the Complementary Education Agency, formerly Non-Formal Education Division, have bemoaned that the agency is woefully under-resourced – making it difficult to deliver on its mandate.

They claim that since the World Bank withdrew its support from the then Non-Formal Education Division in 2008, activities have gone sideways; making it difficult for them to achieve their purpose of building the country through literacy.

A coordinator of CEA in the Western Region, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the B&FT that in his district resources such as money, human capital, vehicles and even primers (books) for their work are not available, hence most of his literacy classes have come to a halt.

“There are areas where education hasn’t reached and we are supposed to go there, but where are the resources? We need cars, look at our roads; the books (primers), where are they? Where are the funds to do supervision and monitoring activities? Common boards and markers are not available, and these beneficiaries do not pay anything. We can’t take money from them,” he lamented.

Narrating further, the coordinator said the agency used to work with volunteers who were given some incentives such as roofing sheets, wax-prints, sewing machines or bicycles after a complete cycle, which lasts 21 months. However, because these items are no longer forthcoming, most of the volunteers have left.

“Generally, that volunteering spirit in the country is no longer there. It is difficult getting people to volunteer. You are telling somebody to facilitate a class for 21 months without salary. We used to give them items such as roofing sheets, clothes, sewing machines, bicycles etc.

“Currently we do not even have them, we have lost them. We are now using our supervisors and programme officers to facilitate. Those incentives are no longer being provided. It comes back to resources. We were then funded by the World Bank; they gave us cars, printed our books and everything. Lots of money,” he elaborated.

Meanwhile, the first in a three-part series of stakeholders’ consultative workshops for development of the Complementary Education Agency Act 2020 (Act 1055) Legislative Instrument (LI), Complementary Education Policy (CEP) and Resource Mobilisation Strategy documents took place at Fumesua in the Ashanti Region; where Executive Director-Complementary Education Agency (CEA), Francis Asumadu, confirmed that the Agency lacks financial resources.

According to him, the Agency is financially constrained. He however expressed hope that the situation can be changed through a well-structured resource mobilisation strategy.

About Complementary Education Agency

The programme has been in existence since inception of the First Republic, but was officially incorporated into the education ministry’s functions in 1987 – when government at the time under Jerry John Rawlings’ leadership saw a need to reform the sector.

The programme has been providing education in various areas to people, particularly adults. This was at a time when the literacy rate among the adult demography was very low in the country.

A bill, the Complementary Education bill 2019, was passed by the 7th Parliament on October 16, 2020 to establish the Complementary Education Agency – which is mandated to oversee the provision of educational programmes outside the country’s formal education system.

Per clause 3 of the bill, the Agency will formulate policies and guidelines to advance complementary education; it will monitor and evaluate the implementation of approved learning activities in the complementary education sector; and develop partnerships to enhance complementary education and occupational skill development.