By: Cindy D.M Asamoah | Voltaonlinegh |

Pencils of Promise and World Vision has collaborated to celebrate this year’s International Literacy Day under the theme, “Literacy and Multilingualism” at Kadjebi in the Oti Region to draw people’s attention to the importance of multilingualism towards literacy.

Speaking at the event, Fred Parku who represented the Country Director of Pencils of Promise outlined the motive behind the celebration, which is promoting literacy and multilingualism worldwide, and charged parents to ensure that their wards speak their mother tongue as well as other languages.

The Nkwanta cluster manager of World Vision, Salomey Yeboah gave the importance of being multilingual.

Mrs. Yeboah disclosed that World Vision International in Ghana had invested close to US$1 million in the past seven years to support communities in the Kadjebi District with school infrastructure, training of teachers and providing teaching, learning and recreational materials, as well as water and sanitation facilities for schools.

The impact of these interventions included improved reading outcomes, improved water coverage for children, improvement in school enrolment, functional Parent Teacher Associations and School Management Committees among others.

According to her, many of the children in the district were at risk of competing at the knowledge market, because averagely only 1.63 per cent of primary two children in the district could read a grade level text (WVG-AMIC 2018) noting, it was for such a reason that Pencils of Promise and World Vision used the day to emphasise the need for all stakeholders to join hands to say no to illiteracy.

Okyeame Aseidu Kwesi Akyea of Kadjebi Traditional Area was optimistic that “if all subjects in our schools are being taught in our local languages, students would understand what they are being taught better.”

Okyeame Akyea finally appealed to the government to consider fixing into the school curriculum the use of Ghanaian languages to enhance education in the country.

Present at the event were schoolchildren from the various communities in the Oti Region, chiefs and elders of the land, the Kadjebi Education Director, a representative of the District Chief Executive, Pencils of Promise, World Vision and residents of the community and surrounding ones.

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com