Minister shares "First day at school" with pupils

Accra, Sept. 11, GNA - Professor Dominic Kweku Fobih, Minister of Education, Science and Sports, on Tuesday interacted with a number of pupils attending school for the first time to make their day a memorable one.

The Minister, who was accompanied by an entourage, including the Minister of State in-charge of Education, Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, visited Anumule Cluster of Schools and the Presec Staff Primary School. At Anumule Cluster of Schools, near Achimota School, Prof. Fobih was assisted by Ms. Ohene and the Member of Parliament for Okai Koi North, Madam Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Sackey to distribute pencils, crayons, exercise books, plastic cups, "My first day at school" caps and miniature flags to the children.

Parents who brought their children to the school were also encouraged to spend the day with them in their Kindergarten (KG) class to make the children comfortable.

However, a number of parents who were loitering around complained that their children had not yet been registered or admitted. According to some of the parents, including Madam Faustina Asabea who brought two children to be admitted to KG, they had been asked to come back to the school on Wednesday to see if their children could be admitted. A source at Anumule KG told the GNA that 37 pupils had been registered by 1100 hours and if registration continued, there was the fear that the school would register more than it could cater for. Nii Okaijah Dinsey, Accra Metro Director for Education, who was also at the school, said books for the KG had been supplied but those for the other classes were yet to be delivered.

He admitted that the teachers were yet to be trained on the new syllabus, saying; "we believe that before the end of October all the necessary in-service training would have been done".

"All heads have been advised to continue with the old syllabus whilst arrangements are put in place for the new ones," he said. Prof. Fobih urged parents who had secured admission for their wards to endeavour to bring them daily and not leave them to their fate. "You should be responsible as parents," he told them.

Addressing the rest of the school at an assembly, Prof. Fobih said the new reform was to ensure that children had the best in education. "Your predecessors could not make it to higher levels because they did not have good foundations.. This reform is to ensure that you have the best."

Prof. Fobih told the teachers that the success of the reform depended on how committed and involved they were. Ms. Ohene told the teachers to make the public school a place to be proud of.

"Gone were the times when people used 'connections' to go to schools such as Achimota, Wesley Girls, Prempeh and the like. Now it is purely on merit and so if the children excelled they would also gain admission to such schools," she said.

The team moved to the Presec Staff Primary School, which has had a KG system running for the past 13 years. Mrs Cecilia Boateng Kuffour, KG Head, said 210 pupils had already gained admission to the five streams. "We would only offer admissions again after two weeks when we realize that some people did not take up their offers," she told the Minister and his entourage.

She said the school was using the old books and syllabus until the new ones were supplied.

Asked if teachers had been given some orientation on the new reform, she replied in the negative, adding that they had been briefed by their heads and heard about it from the media.