The Impact of Functional Literacy on Socio-Economic Lives of Beneficiaries: A Case Study of the Agona District of Ghana

Abstract

This paper presents a report on a study which sought to examine the extent of the relationship between participation in the Functional Literacy Programme and improvement in the socioeconomic lives of the beneficiaries of the programme. Data was collected from 100 beneficiaries of the functional literacy classes in the Agona District of Ghana using an Interview Guide on the Impact of Functional Literacy Programme on Beneficiaries (IGIFLPB). The results of the study established a relationship between participation in the functional literacy classes and improvement in social and economic lives of beneficiaries of the programme. The results showed that beneficiaries of the functional literacy classes could read, write and do numerical calculations to some appreciable extent at the time of their completion of the course and this helps them in their trading activities. Furthermore, it was found that beneficiaries of the literacy classes had become conscious of the need to improve upon their health status. The paper makes recommendations for improvement of the Functional Literacy Programme in Ghana.

Key Words: functional literacy, formal education, Ghana, reading, writing.