The Kwahu Afram Plains South District Assembly in the Eastern Region in the 2019 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) scored 71% despite suffering a two hundred and fifty teacher deficit in the area.
This was revealed to Ghananewsonline.com.gh by the newly posted District Director of Education to the Kwahu Afram Plains South, Mr. Mustapha Haruna during the commissioning of a three units classroom block with the headmasters office and a store for the people of Kwasi Fante, a farming community in the area by the District Chief Executive Hon. George Ofori.
The headmaster who took office some five months ago lamented how the directorate is struggling to convince teachers to accept posting to the area as most of them regards the area as very deprived.
“I came to meet a teacher deficit of about 250 which was worrisome, you will get to a school and there is only one teacher acting as the headmaster and teaching from basic one to six at the same time, these schools go on holidays any time the teacher travels for either a meeting or even fall sick since there is no other assistance from any body, this is really affecting the standard of education in this environment”.
With this, “I together with my gallant Officers at the directorate are doing our best to curtail this teacher to students ratio, I am happy to state that since last Monday we have received some 109 newly posted teachers to the area hoping to close the deficit of the 250 teachers”.
He was quick to acknowledge the hardworking teachers in the District revealing that in these difficult situations we are able to increase our pass mark to 71% in 2019 as compared to the previous years.
Mr. Mustapha Haruna observed that the access to some hinter communities has been a big problem to the directorate, stating that they are finding it difficult to go for monitoring in some communities which requires an officer to cross the river. He said the road networks are also very bad.
In his address the District Chief Executive for the area George Ofori enumerated some successes chalcked in the education sector by the Assembly under the leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo. This include the construction of classroom blocks, extension of school feeding program to benefit more school children, awarding scholarship to some tertiary students, the free Senior High School, provision of 600 dual desks with a target of procuring and distributing 5000 dual desk to schools among others to enhance teaching and learning
The DCE paid gratitude to the newly posted District Director of Education for his swift actions to see improvement in the education sector of the District promising to support the course in every angle to help boost the standard of education in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District.
Receiving the keys on behalf of the Chiefs and people of Kwasi Fante, Nana Kwabena Frimpong I the Kyidomhene of the community shawered praises on the NPP government for coming to their aid to rescue them as their school was in a deterorating stage without any sign of hope, on behalf of the community he assured the DCE and his Officers that the will power of the people to protect and maintain this edifice to stand the test of time.
Source: William Dei-Gyau