Poor quality of education in rural schools due to deprivation

Kade (E/R), Aug 5, GNA - Prof. S. K. B. Asante, an international consultant, has said despite the fact that the most valued resource of this age was intellectual capital, schools in rural areas were confronted with challenges of deprivation and interlocking problems. He said this had make it difficult for them to attain even a minimum level of quality education.

Prof. Asante was speaking at the 10th anniversary of New-Man Preparatory and Junior Secondary school at Kade. He said many schools in the rural areas were confronted with problems of poor materials and limited access especially for the poor and girls.

Prof. Asante said the outcome of the unfair distribution of infrastructure and social amenities was that rural schools, both private and government owned, often could not attract and retain teachers, neither could they attract nor retain high flying students. "It takes considerable sacrifice on the part of qualified teachers to agree to stay and teach in the rural areas and where they have volunteered to work, they often do so as a stop gap measures, while they look for brighter opportunities elsewhere."

He then asked if the teachers were to blame since they were often faced with problems of accommodation and basic social and academic amenities in and out of the classroom.

Prof. Asante said while it was acknowledged that government in recent years was taking steps to upgrade some schools in the rural areas, what was needed was a grand policy and programme intervention that would produce greater equity.

He said along with such interventions should be a policy framework that ensured a more equitable distribution of educational and allied infrastructure throughout the country and with extra incentives to teachers who opted to teach in rural schools.

He told students that they were living in very interesting times as technology had made the learning process easier with the internet. The Kwaebibirem District Director of Education, Mr Jonathan Akakpo, praised New-Man Preparatory and Junior Secondary School for topping schools in the district in Basic Education Certificate Examination in 2004 and 2005 and placing third in 2006. The District Chief Executive, Mr Yaw Yiadom-Boakye, praised the school for attaining high standard and described it as a source of pride for the district.

The Headmaster of the school, Mr S. B. Amoah said the school aimed at providing basic and sound education, inculcating a solid foundation that would enable a child to be useful, creative, disciplined and above all God fearing. 05 Aug 07