Education Service requires $70m for textbooks

The Ghana Education Service (GES) would require about 70 million dollars for the purchase of new textbooks based on the new and revised syllabus for primary one to Junior Secondary School, Mr Rashid Bawa, Deputy Minister of Education said.

He said the amount if made available would guarantee the success of the Textbook Development and Distribution Policy outlined in the new syllabus.

The Deputy was speaking at the 26th Ghana Book Award Ceremony organised by the (GBDC), at which individuals and corporate bodies that have contributed to the promotion of the book industry in the country were awarded.

Mr Bawa said the GES was liasing with the Ghana Book Development Council (GBDC) to find ways of raising the amount because the ministry could not meet the targeted funds from its regular budgetary allocation.

The EPP Book Services and the Livog Limited received the Corporate Awards and Professor Ama Ata Aidoo, a Ghanaian prolific and renowned writer, won the Ghana's Most Distinguished Female Writer Award.

Other individuals who won awards included, Mr Abraham Albert Arries-Tagoe, for writing books in Ga, a Ghanaian language, Mrs Matilda Amissah, for her contribution to Librarianship and Mrs Star Nyanniba Annan Hammond and Naa Otua Codjoe also for writing variety of books.

Mr Bawa said after the procurement of textbooks for basic schools, a similar programme would be initiated for the second cycle institutions. Mr Bawa said the Curriculum Research and Development Division of the GES was in the process of revising syllabuses of the second cycle schools to make them relevant and suitable to the changing trends in the world.

He stated that for first time a textbook development programme of the Ministry was going to incorporate the production of books and manuals for learners with special needs.

"Government would arrange for the printing of books with large and bigger type set for the benefit of learners with poor vision and in the case of blind learners arrangements would be made for the production of Braille versions of textbooks to suit their needs," he said.

According to him the new policy would ensure that local publishers spearheaded the textbook development process, adding that foreign publishers who wish to participate in the programme must do so in partnership with their Ghanaian counterparts.

Mrs A. O Vandyck, Acting Executive Director of the GBDC said the award was to encourage persons in the book industry to boost their businesses operations. She said over 400 people have so far received various awards since its inception.