United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has made available 07 million dollars to support the National Literacy Acceleration Programme (NALAP) that the Ghana Education Service has initiated.
Mrs. Sarah Agyeman-Duah, Director of Education in-charge of Curriculum Research Development Division (CRDD) of the GES, said more than 1,020 lower primary school teachers including those at indergarten would benefit.
She was speaking during the Phase One of an eight-day Master Trainers Workshop on NALAP in Kumasi on Monday.
With focus on reading, the programme has been designed to improve literacy through mother-tongue instruction from kindergarten one to primary three with an early transition to the English Language.
The objective is to equip majority of children leaving the Basic Education System with literacy skills that would enhance their learning abilities.
Mrs. Agyeman-Duah said the generally low achievement levels of literacy skills at the basic school level were undermining the quality of the entire education system.
In 2005, 16.4 per cent of primary three public pupils achieved grade level proficiency skills in English Language while primary six pupils achieved 23.6 per cent.
"In 2007, only 15 per cent of primary three pupils could achieve grade level proficiency in English" which Mrs. Agyeman-Duah described as "crisis in the system as far as the acquisition of literacy skills is concerned".
Mrs. Florence Daaku, the Literacy Programme Manger of NALAP, said the three main components of the programme were Public Advocacy Campaign, Instructional Design, Policy Dialogue and Research.
The success of the programme, she said, would depend on the commitment of the participants whose responsibility it is to provide adequate training, guidance and counseling to teachers.
Mr. Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, said the giant strides the Education Ministry was making in the areas of access and participation in education but said in the field of quality education delivery, the situation had been bleak over the years.
He was however optimistic that NALAP would adequately address the problem and called on teachers to be committed and dedicated.