Minister attributes poor performance in BECE to poor supervision

Sunyani (B/A) Oct. 20, GNA – Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo, Brong–Ahafo Regional Minister, has said the Region’s poor performance in 2011 Basic Education Certificate Examination was due to weak supervision in public schools despite availability of good quality teachers.

He asked Managers of Educational Units to ensure effective supervision and to adopt better strategies to prevent the Region from performing abysmally in future examinations.

Mr Marfo was speaking at the opening of a four-day 37th Annual National Conference of Managers of Educational Units (COMEU), in Sunyani on Wednesday, being held on the theme: “Teamwork: An effective Tool for Institutional Management”.

The event aimed at assessing and appraising the performance of the managers to improve upon educational performance in the Region.

Mr Nyamekye Marfo said government had initiated 596 educational projects at the cost of GH¢72 million in the Region and GH¢2.6 million had been spent on the Capitation Grant.

Additionally, he said, 98,200 school uniforms had been supplied to school children in deprived areas in Brong Ahafo.

Most Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Catholic Bishop of Sunyani, said religious bodies had a role to play in the nation’s quest for good quality education.

He noted that “gradually, conditions of the last century have changed during our time. Now power has shifted from local communities and parents in school management as a result of government legislations and its subsequent replacement with the Ghana Education Service, regional directors and district/municipal directors”.

The Bishop stressed that schools had changed from being small and local to large and bureaucratic in their organisation with no meaningful role in governance of students.

“But this does not mean that the interest of churches, communities, parents and students, who started and nurtured education and continue to play these roles, should and could be ignored without serious consequences”, Bishop Gyamfi said.

He observed that total support and encouragement were required from all stakeholders in the successful implementation of the national policy on education.

“What is needed is the willingness on the part of those in formal roles such as Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education to accept and work with the other stakeholders”, Bishop Gyamfi said.

Very Rev. Stephen Asher, President of COMEU, said the group was established to make education accessible, affordable and conducive to Ghanaian children and to maintain uniformity and high academic standards.

He said almost 90 per cent of the educational unit schools performed creditably in examinations and advised members to support the unit to achieve high academic standards.

Nana Bofotia Boamponsem IV, Krontihene of Sunyani Traditional Area, who represented Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, Omanhene of Sunyani, asked the managers to work as a team to enable them to discharge their duties effectively.