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Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Barbara Asher Ayisi has charged civil societal organizations and international development partners in the education sector to take advantage of the information technology infrastructure in Ghana to come up with well-designed literacy programme.

Giving the keynote address at Dwenase in the Fanteakwa District in the Eastern Region to mark the International Literacy Day with the theme “Literacy in a digital world”, the Cape Coast North Constituency MP made a clarion call on the stakeholders in the education sector to reduce digital illiteracy in the country.

“....undoubtedly, a digital world is fast isolating not only the non-literates but also making several literate people unable to function effectively in today’s world. It is against this background that the theme for the 2017 International Literacy Day celebration ‘Literacy in a digital world’ calls for rethinking the direction and focus on educational provision in functional literacy drives in our country Ghana”, she stated.

She insisted that functional literacy without the digital literacy infusion will serve no useful purpose in this current dispensation; thus, it is against this backdrop that civil societal organizations are seen in helping government drive for digital literate population.

“The news surrounding the use of digital technology must be broken to a well-designed literacy programme ready to take advantage of the information technology infrastructure in Ghana. I charge you therefore to consider this in your next project”, she stressed.

The Deputy Minister of Education also stated that the government recognizes the immense potential of the non-formal education sub-sector in creating job opportunities for the unemployed youth and adult non-literates in the country.

“....and the government will do anything within its power to support project such as this. The nation stands to benefit immensely from the increased resourcefulness and capacity improvement”, she indicated.

Talking of the International Literacy Day, Hon. Asher Ayisi mentioned since its inception has accelerated global and national effort towards the reduction of illiteracy in the world; thus, the world has been transformed by digital technology and global information and communication regulation.

She was however emphatic that the no nation can effectively steer its skills and development in this fast changing technological world if a large segment of its population remain illiterate.

She added that literacy plays key role in this current digital and technological information; thus, literacy leads the transformation of the minds towards positive thinking which ultimately leads to self-empowerment and positive actions.