Nkoranza Education Oversight Committee wants teachers' bungalows attached to schools

The Nkoranza South District Education Oversight Committee (DEOC) has proposed to the Government to build teachers’ bungalows alongside the construction of classroom blocks in the very deprived communities.

This they said would help to address the teacher accommodation problems in the communities.

The committee’s proposal followed a meeting held at Nkoranza over the weekend during which they decided to revamp all the defunct School Management Committees (SMCs) and the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) as a move to enable parents play their respective roles as stakeholders in education.

Mr. Kwame Owusu-Sekyere, a retired educationist and a member of the committee whose proposal was unanimously endorsed by the committee, said lack of teacher’s bungalows in the very deprived communities discouraged teachers to accept posting to such places.

He also said teachers, who commuted from other places to their schools were not very regular at classes as in most cases they gave flimsy excuses to support their absence.

The committee therefore recommended that teacher’s bungalows at the deprived school communities should be attached to the classroom blocks that would be provided to the people to enable newly-posted teachers feel proud and show interest to work in the communities.

The committee also suggested the need for the District Assembly to organise an Award Day for hardworking teachers and workers of the education sector as that had been ignored for over four years.

Madam Philippa Banson, Nkoranza South District Director of Education, praised members of the District Education Oversight Committee (DEOC) for their dedication and voluntary services towards the promotion of education delivery in the school communities.

Madam Banson was appreciative of the efforts of the committee members in adopting the basic schools in the Nkoranza Township as part of their work and services and also visiting the schools to encourage the teachers and students in their work.

He emphasized the need for SMCs to visit schools to know the challenges facing both teachers and students to enable the committees address them and move education forward.

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkoranza South Constituency, Mr. Kwame Amporfo-Twumasi, had commended the DEOC for their joint efforts in working hard to improve upon the standard of education in the district.

Mr. Amporfo-Twumasi reiterated that the committees at the various assemblies were the highest bodies responsible for the promotion of education at the basic and senior levels as enshrined in the 2007 Education Reform Programme (ERP).

He said it was important that educational authorities should see to it that teachers were properly accommodated to make them feel proud to serve in deprived communities.**