Education is the foundation for national development, head teachers told

Dr George Adjei-Henne, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Ghana Education Service (GES) has said the human capital base of a nation is the main determinant of its worth and not the natural resources.

He said gone are the days when natural resources were used to determine a nation’s socio-economic development.

Dr Adjei-Henne said this when addressing heads of basic schools and staff in Kintampo South District as part of a familiarization tour to some parts of Brong-Ahafo to acquaint himself with challenges and problems facing the Directorate and how best they could be addressed.

Dr Adjei-Henne asked the heads of educational institutions to address important issues to improve the skills, knowledge and the attitude of stakeholders to enrich the nation’s resources in the educational sector.

He said education was a corner-stone and bedrock in national development and wealth creation, hence those responsible to ensuring the achievement of the aims and objectives of the nation’s educational programmes must redouble efforts.

He said absenteeism on the part of some classroom teachers has become a social canker that has contributed to low standards in education and asked the schools heads to address the problem as front-liners in supervision.

Dr Adjei-Henne advised the heads to lead lives worthy of emulation and be vigilant to duty and expose non-performing teachers including those who absented themselves from school and to keep proper records and documentation at all times.

He warned the heads to desist from demanding monies from pupils and parents before offering tuition to the children since it was illegal for them as professionals to engage in such practice.

Mr/ Dan Brinsley Antwi, District Director of Education for Kintampo South, noted that teachers in the district were working hard to improve the performance of candidates in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the district.

He said the lack of accommodation for teachers in some parts of the district was a contributory factor to the failure of teachers to accept postings to such communities.

Mr. Antwi said the district had seven circuits with 114 basic schools and commended the District Assembly for providing infrastructure in some parts of the district.

Mr. Opoku Donyina, Assistant Director in-charge of Human Resources Management and Development (HRMD) acknowledged the efforts of the Regional Directorate of the Service towards enhancing skills for both head-teachers and staff to improve their academic performance.**