GES Director-General calls for team work

Mr Jacob A.M. Kor, acting Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has called for teamwork among stakeholders in education so as to achieve the aspirations of the sector.

Speaking at his maiden meeting with heads of educational institutions and stakeholders in the Greater Accra Region on Thursday, Mr Kor said to achieve the aims of education, stakeholders, including the leadership of the GES, teachers, students, and labour unions, must play their roles effectively.

This, he said, should be done with the best interests of the children and the various stakeholders, while striving to serve them to the best of their ability.

He said leaders must have excellent interpersonal relations with their colleagues if they are to be successful in their roles.

Mr Kor said the most effective way to address some challenges in the sector such as declining performance, was not to apportion blame but to collectively work to address them.

He said there was the need to tackle teacher professionalism by addressing issues of teacher absenteeism, lateness and unpreparedness for teaching since these factors contribute to the student’s poor performance.

Mr Kor urged teachers to desist from the use of indecent language in the classroom and branding of children as their words had an effect on the children saying they should rather encourage the students to succeed.

“We cannot do anything without the support of the stakeholders” he said and tasked the District Directors of Education and heads of schools to respect the inputs of stakeholders like Parent-Teacher Associations, labour unions and community members.”

He said parents as first teachers played an important role in their children’s education and entreated parents to dialogue with teachers and other officials on issues affecting their wards’ education.

“Teaching is a calling like that of reverend fathers or Imams and if we serve the children with love, we will receive blessings and live long on earth. Our reward will be on earth, not in heaven,” Mr Kor said.

He urged students, as stakeholders in education, to be prepared to study with zeal to be able to pass their examinations without having to resort to cheating.

With reference to the cancellation of some papers in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Exams (BECE), he noted that examination malpractices had become a canker in the sector and signalled the need to re-strategise.