The Ghana Education Service (GES), on Tuesday, launched the Ghanaian Languages of Instruction (GLOI) programme to augment the Ghana Learning Programme.

It is to improve on the learning outcomes of pupils while at home in this COVID-19 era.

The 11 GES-approved GLOI programme, is an initiative being supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), dubbed; USAID Partnership for Education: Learning – National Reading Radio Programme (NRRP).

It is aimed at providing lessons to pupils to support them to continue their studies using radio, while they remain at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Peter Attafuah, Northern Regional Director of Education, said with the outbreak of COVID-19 and its accompanying disruption of the school system in the country, it was necessary to modify traditional teaching and learning methods, hence, the introduction of the programme.

He said the programme is aimed at ensuring a firm foundation for literacy and the development of children in Ghana.

He noted that "pupils need to continue learning whilst awaiting schools to resume and so we devised this programme to get them to use decodable skills they will acquire in the GLOI programme to decode and read English text".

"We need to help the children to read and write in their languages so they can translate whatever they learn into English to enhance their development and academic performance", he added.

Dr Attafuah appealed to stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of the programme, saying; "if we collectively engage, deploy and employ local resources available, and apply our collective effort strategically and consistently the programme will be sustained".

Mr Mahama Abukari, an Educationist, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), lauded the initiative and said it would improve on the academic performance of pupils when schools resume.

He encouraged parents, guardians and caregivers to ensure their wards were closer to their radio sets during lesson periods to enable them to understand all lessons for a sound foundation for their education.