BECE performance in Ho drops

Ho, Oct. 04, GNA - Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) performance in the Ho Municipality dropped from 58.35 per cent in 2009 to 50.56 per cent in 2010.

Nine schools out of 120 on the performance table scored zero per cent with schools in the Ho City Centre listed to have performed quite better than those in the hinterlands.

Four schools outside Ho which scored 100 per cent are Atikpui Junior High School (JHS), Sokode-Gbogame JHS, both public schools and Mater Ecclesiae JHS at Sokode-Gbogame and Eli International at Tsito Awudome, private schools.

Seven out of the 27 schools in the Ho Township scored 100 percent. The schools that scored zero per cent are Hoviefe, Abutia-Agove, Abutia-Teti Saint Francis, Abutia-Togbave, Abutia-Kissifli, Kpedze-Anoe, Agogoe-Lume, Atsyame-Lume and Klave Junior High Schools. Mr Emmanuel Keteku, Ho Municipal Director of Education, described the result as disappointing and attributed the poor performance to the "school environments and other factors." He observed that most basic schools in the municipality had inadequate teaching and learning materials which were making it difficult for teachers to make teaching and learning "practical and concrete."

Mr Keteku noted that some teachers were also not committed to work, devoting more time to seek higher education through distance learning. He said as a result such teachers went to school late, left earlier than expected and rushed pupils and students through lessons. Mr Keteku also blamed some parents for being less concerned with their children's education and said the Municipal Education Office was about to organize a "Participatory Learning Action" for parents and guardians and other stakeholders to ensure that they got involved in the education of their children.

He said the Municipal Assembly was also to be blamed for not supporting education that much, noting that for the past five years, the assembly failed to support the organization of the Municipal Best Teacher Award.

Mr Keteku however gave that assurance that measures were being taken to address the poor performance of the municipality. He hinted that supervision and monitoring would be intensified with much focus on public schools, especially those in the hinterlands.