School for Life (SfL), a leading advocate for equitable education in Ghana, marks the 2025 International Day of Education with a call to bridge the digital divide in rural schools, urging stakeholders to equip young learners with the ICT tools and skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving, technology-driven world.

Below is the full statement to commemorate the day:

School for Life (SfL), a leading Civil Society Organisation with 30 years of expertise in education, commemorates the International Day of Education under the theme, "AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation."

The 2025 International Day of Education inspires reflections on the power of education to equip individuals and communities to navigate, understand and influence technological advancement.

For the past three decades, SfL has served as a beacon of hope for marginalized communities in Ghana, championing equitable and quality education for all.

Through our flagship Functional Literacy Programme, now known as Complementary Basic Education (CBE), SfL has empowered over 400,000 out-of-school children with foundational literacy and numeracy skills, which enabled them to successfully transition into the formal education system.

Many of these beneficiaries have since excelled academically and professionally, which underscored the impact of our CBE programme.

SfL has also trained over 16,000 CBE community facilitators, strengthening grassroots capacity and advocating inclusive education policies. These efforts reflect SfL’s commitment to ensuring that no learner is left behind.

However, whilst education remains a catalyst for societal transformation, the lack of access to Information Technology and other technological resources in Northern Ghana continues to hinder young learners’ growth and inhibits their prospects of meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving global village.

In this 21st century, our basic schools still lag in terms of ICT infrastructure, internet access and number of trained teachers in digital literacy. These gaps aggravate socio-economic disparities, restricting opportunities for students to thrive in a competitive global environment.

To address these pressing issues on account of the 2025 celebration of the International Day of Education,

School for Life urges stakeholders to take immediate and collective action on the following challenges that confront quality basic education delivery in Ghana:

➢ Supplying rural basic schools with computers, tablets, internet facilities and other digital tools to foster digital inclusion.

➢ Building teachers’ capacity with the required skills to effectively teach IT and integrate technology into the curriculum.

➢ Public-private partnerships and collaboration with technology companies, NGOs, and government bodies to fund sustainable ICT projects that will improve access to IT and technological devices.

➢ Promoting digital literacy raises awareness about the importance of digital skills as a key driver of individual and community development.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Therefore, as we celebrate International Day of Education,

School for Life urges all stakeholders in the education sector to reaffirm commitment to ensuring that every child, regardless of location or background, has the needed ICT tools to succeed in the digital age.

Happy International Day of Education 2025!