Tamale, April 17, GNA - Some 129 students from northern Ghana are currently pursuing Bachelor of Arts degree programme at the Workers College (TWC) which serves as a tutorial centre for the University of Ghana Distance Education programme. The college has over the past year also embarked on a two- year Business Studies and a Senior High School redial classes, Mr Francis Adjei, Principal of the college, said this in Tamale on Saturday. Mr Adjei, who was addressing an open day to mark the 60th anniversary of the college, said the TWC also provided tutorials for students who are pursuing a diploma course in Youth in Development work. Additionally, he said, the college runs access courses to prepare students to write the University of Ghana mature students examination while it continues to organise a four-month weekend course on HIV/AIDS Counselling and care giving.

He said the TWA offered an opportunity for people who missed out on education at certain stages in their lives due to either parental neglect or poverty, to better their academic qualification and to progress to polytechnics, universities and other tertiary institutions. Mr Adjei said the college had over the years trained secretaries, accounts clerks and administrative officers for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as the police, military, Immigration Service, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and NGOs. He noted that in spite of its financial constraints, the college had over the years been able to reach out to communities with its programmes.

He mentioned the acquisition of a cross-country vehicle to enable the college to run its non-formal education programme effectively, the refurbishment of buildings, a well-equipped laboratory and a modern library as the most pressing needs of the college. Mr George Danyari, a former Principal of TWC, said lifelong learning was relevant if the nation at large and northern Ghana in particular could reduce poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He said: "These noble goals, including the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achievement of universal primary education, promotion of gender equality and women's empowerment, cannot be attained where the majority of the people are illiterate and uneducated about these issues.

Mr Danyari said lifelong education was relevant to the people to understand the changing trends of the socio-economic environment of the country so that they could adopt the necessary measures to confront any challenges.

He said a lot of the conflicts that had beset the people of northern Ghana could have been addressed if the people learned to understand the socio-cultural differences, the legal processes and conflict management style.

"The need to live together as one people, work to support one another, create development and wealth and all can be attained if the people can learn to acquire new knowledge and skills." Mr Danyari commended the Institute of Adult Education for providing ample opportunities for both young and old to learn to improve themselves, adding "the non-formal education programme in family health, literacy, HIV/AIDS and environmental management in the communities have helped to improve conditions within our communities".

Mr Tahiru Karim, President of the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the college, said TWC was one of the greatest contributors among training and professional institutions in the region and the country as a whole. He said there was therefore the urgency for the college to be provided with well resourced library to enhance teaching and learning, research work and proper management of leisure time by students. 27 April 09