A two-week intensive training of adult literacy facilitators recently concluded in Janjangbureh, Central River Region (CRR). The training was organised by the Adult and None-formal Education unit, in collaboration with the Regional Education Directorate, Region 5, under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

The aim of the training is to increase access to adult literacy in Central River Region (CRR). Twenty-five facilitators were drawn from Child Friendly School Community Initiatives (CFSI) as part of Early Childhood Development and parenting education’s readiness to monitor the education of the girl child.

In his closing remarks, the regional director of Region 5, Momodou Touray, while noting the importance of the workshop, affirmed thatthe 15 day’s training of facilitators is being conducted for 25 facilitators, to prepare them for literacy classes in Child Friendly School Communities, under the auspices of the Regional Education Directorate.

He commended the Adult and Non-formal Education unit for organising such an important forum for Mothers’ Club members. He indicated that it is envisaged that involving Mothers’ Club members in literacy and numeracy classes will enlighten them better on the importance of education, to become more active in the education of their children, particularly the girl child.

The senior education officer for Adult and Non-formal Education unit, Kebba FM Nyangado, posited that the quality and relevance of the literacy and numeracy programme will be in accordance with socio-cultural, economic and religious life of the people; health, agriculture, entrepreneurship and civic life; as well as ecological characteristics of the Region.

He urged the literacy facilitators to establish literacy centres. He informed that facilitators were trained how to write the local languages by specialists from NGO, Organization for the Production Teaching and Learning Materials (OPTLM).

For his part, the education officer, Adult and Non-Formal Education unit, Essa Jallow cited that the teaching and learning content as per the functional literacy curriculum will specifically cover themes such as: Agriculture and natural resources, health and nutrition, governance, peace building and gender.

He reiterated that the training targets 25 facilitators from selected Child Friendly School Initiative Communities in CRR; the programme targets members of the Mothers’ Clubs created within the furrows of the School Improvement Programme (SIP) approach.

The focal persons for Adult and Non-formal Education unit, Alhagie Sanneh and Omar Choi, assured their readiness to give them all the support.