Bolgatanga, Aug. 22, GNA - The National Functional Literacy Programme (NFLP), is still a major tool to reducing poverty and ignorance in the three Northern Regions, an educational coordinator said on Friday.

Mr Issah Mohammadu Imoro, Upper East Regional Coordinator of the Non-Formal Education Division of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (MOESS), said this at a reading competition between the learners of Bongo District and the Bolgatanga Municipality Functional Literacy Programme.

The competition was to have a single slot to represent the Region in this year's national reading competition to mark the International Literacy Day in September at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region.

Mr Imoro encouraged people, who were engaged in the programme, to take their studies seriously and urged others to enrol with the programme.

He indicated that majority of the beneficiaries, who went through the programme, after sometime went through the formal education sector and that some of them had even attained tertiary education.

"Majority of people, who enrolled in the programme, had completed tertiary education and some are now fully engaged in employment", he said.

He said the NFLP was a major tool in bridging the gap between the marginalized and the literate in society and said that explained why the Ministry had attached so much importance to it.

Mr Imoro said based on that, the Non-Formal Division had put in place a number of strategies including mini "library or book system" aimed at making reading materials and programmes available to participants and their communities.

This, he said, had enabled the participants to utilize their literacy skills outside classrooms noting that, to ensure efficiency of the mini libraries, literacy groups comprising learners and neo-literates were encouraged to form literacy clubs to enable them to continue accessing information and to put to use their acquired skills.

Mrs Margaret Wojeo, National Coordinator of the Reading Competition programme, commended the competitors and the district coordinators and urged them to work hard to continue its sustenance. "Literacy once acquired has to be sustained for increased development and improvement in the quality of life of the newly-made literates", she emphasized.

In all, six people participated in the competition with Mr Asaa Simon from Bongo District emerging as the overall best reader. He was given a wall clock and would represent the Region in the national contest in Accra.

Ms Mbelima Felicia, also Bongo District came second while Mr Kennedy Ayindolmi from Bolgatanga came third. Both took home a bicycle and a certificate.

The fourth, fifth and sixth positions went to Ms Cynthia Atule of Bolgatanga, Mrs Akela Mary, Bongo and Mrs Akolgoma Aloko, Bolgatanga respectively taking home each a pair of Wellington boot, lanterns and certificates.