First casualty of new educational reforms

Bits of information picked up by Public Agenda around the ministries point to the fact that the Accra Metropolitan Director of Education, Mr. Nii Okaija Dinsey is on the verge of becoming the first casualty of the new educational reforms.

His crime is that he publicly complained about the lack of logistics for the smooth take off of the programme in the Metropolis.

The Metro Director of Education is reported to have said in a radio interview on September 11th (a day that marked the ‘my first day at school programme’) that his outfit was yet to receive the necessary logistics, like syllabuses for all the subjects, registers, chalk and exercise books etc.

According to sources at the Ministry of Education Science and Sports (MOESS) the interview the Accra Metro Director granted on radio did not go down well with people within the corridors of power, who felt it was unfair for a policy implementer of his calibre to openly complain about the lack of logistics. As a way of registering their displeasure, the Ghana Education Service (GES) in a letter dated 14th September 2007 and signed by the Director General, Mr. Samuel Bannerman-Mensah ordered him to report to the Director General for reassignment. “You were brought to the Metro Education Office with the highest hope that you can help to drive the current Educational Reform to its success. It has however come to our notice that your behavior in recent times, oblivious of where you are, has given cause for concern about your management and leadership capabilities”, the letter said.

The letter further said “as Metropolitan Director of Education, you were expected to be on top of your job, properly manage challenges and problems when they arise and be proactive in the face of new events, instead of throwing up your arms in despair.

“Such behavior clearly shows that you can hardly manage a metropolis in times of crises and especially during this critical period of the reforms. This indeed is highly regrettable; you are therefore requested to report immediately to the Director General for reassignment”, the letter further noted.

The reassignment which comes less than a year after he was appointed the Metro Director of Accra sharply contradicts his transfer letter from the Kwahu South District where he effectively doubled as Director of Education and the Acting Headmaster of Mpraeso Secondary School.

According to sources Mr. Dinsey was appointed Metro Director of Accra as a result of his record of hard work at Kwahu South District. Due to his hard work the GES faced stiff opposition they faced in the Kwahu South district. The appointment letter dated 8th January 2007 and signed by the Former Acting Director General of the GES, Mr. Michael Nsowah, reads “In line with the Ghana Education Service Policy of improving management efficiency, I have the pleasure to inform you that you have been transferred to the Accra Metropolitan Education Office as the Metropolitan Director with effect from 1st February 2007.

“You are requested to report at your new station by 1st February 2007. In matters of Professional and Educational Policies ,you will be responsible to the Director-General through the Regional Director.

“Your salary and conditions of service shall continue to be as laid down by the Ghana Education Service for the rank of Director II and will in addition enjoy any other benefits/facilities which are applicable to Directors of Education under the approved Conditions of Service, please ensure that a proper handing over has been carried out and acknowledge receipt.”

Meanwhile when Public Agenda contacted the Metro Director on the issue of his reassignment he declined to comment but said that his outfit had received from the MOESS all the necessary logistics needed for the smooth implementation of the New Educational Reform.

He said currently his outfit is still printing the syllabus in all the subjects needed by teachers and disclosed that an NGO had offered to organise training programmes for all teachers in addition to the training workshop by the MOESS.

Mr. Dinsey was hopeful that most of the schools within his outfit will receive all the logistics by the end of the month since as at press time on Thursday many of the schools had already received chalk, registers, bicycles, motorcycles and other logistics from his outfit.