Assembly bans use of mobile phones by teachers

Obuasi, May 16, GNA - The Obuasi Municipal Assembly has passed a byelaw banning public basic schoolteachers from using mobile phones during instructional hours.

Mr Joseph Kwadwo Boampong, the Municipal Chief Executive who announced this when the Municipal Education Oversight Committee (MEOC) met teachers in the Obuasi Municipality at the weekend, said, "the assembly is not saying teachers should not use mobile phones". "What we are saying is that the use of mobile phones during instructional hours is banned."


Mr Boampong, who is the chairman of the MEOC, said the use of the phones during teaching period contributed to the misuse of the child's instructional period that amounted to misconduct. He praised the teachers for their commitment that had made the municipality to chalk successive firsts in the national Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) but said the disparity in performance between the public and the private schools were great. "That is why we are taking such measures to check the misuse of the instructional hours so that the public schools can improve their results", he said.


Mr Boampong said the Municipal Education Directorate had been asked to step up supervision in the schools. "We expect head teachers to supervise well, no condoning and conniving".

He said the assembly was providing school infrastructure to improve facilities in the municipality and that "the assembly too expects bigger returns from you".


Some of the teachers expressed concern about the way public school teachers were involved in national assignments like the revision of voter register, general elections, polio immunization and the rest at the expense of the instructional hours.