Education stakeholders have called on parents and guardians in the Ashanti Region to prioritize the schooling of their wards as over 1,034 out-of-school children have been reintegrated into the formal education system under the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) Programme.
The initiative, led by School for Life and the Luminos Fund, targeted children from the Sekyere Afram Plains and Sekyere South Districts, providing each with learning kits to support their transition. Of the beneficiaries, 535 were boys and 499 girls.
At a ceremony to graduate Cohort Four of the CBE/Second Chance Programme, Mr. Ibrahim Tanko Yakubu, Sekyere South District Director of the Complementary Education Agency, reminded parents that the success of the programme depended largely on their commitment.
“No child should be denied education, but the sustainability of this intervention rests with parents and communities who must ensure that these children remain in school,” he cautioned.
Mr. Aaron Odua-Mensah, Field Coordinator for the project, expressed concern that some parents still withdrew children for early farming and petty trading, practices he said discouraged consistent learning. He called for urgent government support to address challenges such as inadequate furniture and poor classroom environments, which threaten retention.
The programme’s supporters emphasized that reintegration is only the first step in closing education gaps. Mr. Edward Asare of Luminos Fund urged guardians to avoid complacency. “It is not enough to celebrate enrollment; parents must ensure their children attend classes daily and remain focused,” he stressed.
Certificates were presented to facilitators who worked with the children, recognizing their dedication in preparing learners for the transition.
Community leaders and education officials present said that while the reintegration of over a thousand children was a milestone, collective responsibility—especially from parents—would determine whether the intervention produced long-term impact on childhood literacy and development.
