In its quest to advance literacy in Ghana’s rural dwellings, Connecting Kids Education Foundation (CKEF), a non-governmental organization (NGO), has built a library for the Anweem-Kumasi basic school in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) municipality of the Central Region. 

The Library project located in one of Ghana’s rural communities is aimed at improving the performances of pupils in the school.

The performance of pupils at Anweem-Kumasi is at an all-time low with reading levels currently below 19%, according to statistics from the KEEA Education Directorate. The situation is said to be presenting huge challenges for teachers and pupils in the teaching and learning process.

The founder and president of CKEF, Ellen Blamires, tells Joy News’ Richard Kwadwo Nyarko after the commissioning of the library, the aim of the library project is to cultivate the habit of reading among the school pupils; to shore up the performances of the pupils in the BECE assist pupils in such deprived communities and to get them better prepared to fully optimize the free SHS policy.

“CKEF is still a growing charity but we remain dedicated to improving education in rural communities and to close the gap between rural and rural education. We need to see improved performance and examination results to provide a better future for some of our poorest children.

“Educational improvement is a huge responsibility for all of us – not a task for government alone. It has to be a collaborative undertaking,” she noted.

Currently, school pupils from seven communities commute to the Anweem-Kumasi school located in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem Municipality. While some school pupils trek 3 kilometers in order to access education, others get to the school by walking 4 kilometres. 

The founder and president of CKEF, Ellen Blamires assured, her foundation will continue to support rural education in Ghana to ensure that the disparity between the rural and urban education is addressed.

She wants the citizenry to join forces with the government to provide education for all. According to her, the provision of education should not be a task for government alone - It has to be a collaborative undertaking.

In times when the world is increasingly getting smaller through technology and every child, irrespective of their demographic or socio-economic background deserves access to such facilities. She wants the government to do more to bridge the gap between the rural schools and the urban schools. 

The chief of Anweem-Kumasi, Nana Kweku Prah I, applauded the NGO and called on others to support the school to improve education in the community.

Connecting Kids Educational Foundation’s working relationship with the Anweem-Kumasi community started in Feb. 2017, in collaboration with the KEEA Municipal Education Directorate, when it launched a systematic sustainable developmental initiative dubbed the “Fast Track Whole School Development Programme.”