Vivo Energy Ghana, exclusive distributor, and marketer of Shell-branded fuels and lubricants has launched the ‘Vivo Energy Community Digital Literacy Project’ to increase access to relevant educational content through technological means among students.
It is a pilot project being implemented in partnership with Worldreader and Northern Regional Library Authority, within the Tamale Metropolis.
It seeks to reinforce the reading skills of school children and help to mitigate the learning loss caused by the schools’ closure during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.
Madam Shirley Tony Kum, Corporate Communications Manager at Vivo Energy Ghana, speaking at the launch, said the project would ensure Sustainable Development Goal four, of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education is achieved within the implementing area.
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She said the project in its first phase would reach children in over 25 households within the Tamale Metropolis with ‘BookSmart Tablets’, trained facilitators, and guided lesson plans to create enabling environment for reading and learning for them.
“To ensure effective implementation of the project, facilitators have been duly trained and will have access to remote support through structured daily lesson plans and book title recommendations for specific targeted outcomes”, she added.
Madam Kum indicated that her outfit was committed to implementing educational initiatives that would have a significant impact on the lives of school children, especially those in marginalised communities.
Mr David Sumbo, a Lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS), who was the Guest Speaker at the event, called for collaboration among stakeholders in the educational sector to ensure appropriate contents were available on digital platforms for all categories of readers.
“Technology is a double-edged sword which can be used for good or bad, that is why it is very important to take a critical look at what is available to people to read and help create the right environment for people to read”, he noted.
Mr Alhassan Abdul-Kahad, Programme Manager at Worldreader, said the Vivo Energy Community Digital Literacy Project would help to improve the literacy rate among the youth and help prepare a more secured workforce that would help to accelerate the country’s development.
