School head calls for more resources into education

Sunyani, May 10, GNA - Dr Kwasi Nsiah-Gyabaah, Principal of Sunyani Polytechnic has called for more resources into education, taking into account the critical role of the teacher in the development of the child.

He said the provision of scholarships to teachers, as well as special incentive packages to motivate those who accept postings to remote areas, in addition to housing and transportation schemes would help improve the quality of education.

Speaking at the Brong Ahafo regional launch of the 2006 Global Action Month on Education, Dr Nsiah-Gyabaah noted that incentive for teachers would also make the profession more attractive to the youth and ensure the achievement of the Millennium Goals on education.

The launch was under the theme: "Every Child Needs a Teacher". Dr Nsiah-Gyabaah, who spoke on the theme, "Achieving Education For All - The Teacher A Critical Factor", stressed that unattractive salaries and conditions of service, poor public image of the teaching profession and poverty among teachers were likely to affect Ghana's ability to achieve the Millennium Goals of attaining universal primary education by 2015.

He noted that vigorous implementation of the Education Strategic Plan, the Capitation Grant and the NEPAD feeding programme had led to significant improvement in access and enrolment at basic schools. For example, he said, national primary gross enrolment ratio (GER) increased from 86.1 per cent in 2003/2004 to 87.5 per cent in 2004/2005, while the national pupil/teacher ratio for primary schools increased from 34.0:1 in 2003/2004 to 34.9:1 in 2004/2005.

Dr Nsiah-Gyabaah noted that the national primary GER for pre-school increased from 58.8 per cent in 2003/2004 to 60.14 per cent in 2004/2005, saying it was estimated that the current GER of 87.5 per cent would increase to 90.9 per cent in 2005/2006.

He said the improved access and high enrolment would require more teachers in the schools but noted that about 70 per cent of Ghanaians live in the rural areas, where most of the pupils entering the schools are located and where conditions are not attractive for trained teachers.

"Therefore if all the children in the rural schools can benefit from formal education, then the rural areas must be provided with basic social amenities and infrastructure so they would become attractive to professionally trained teachers", he added.

Dr Nsiah-Gyabaah cautioned teachers that the public expected them to be morally, spiritually, academically and socially upright but attitudes and behaviours such as absenteeism, alcoholism, child abuse, bullying and indiscipline among them affected not only the quality of teaching and the performance of the children but the public image of the profession.

Good training and discipline must therefore be the watchword of teachers, who must also be introduced to modern trends in their fields and in teaching in general so that they can fit well in this computer age and serve as the light in their communities, Dr. Nsiah-Gyabaah advised.

He said the sponsorship of teachers from their areas by District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies so they would be posted to serve in their areas on completion of their programmes must be encouraged. The Principal urged parents and community leaders to co-operate with teachers and encourage them to give off their best rather than assaulting them when they discipline wayward children.

Mrs. Akua Debrah, Regional Director of Education, noted that current data indicated that there were more teachers in the region than expected, but the problem was the high percentage of untrained ones. She said in many areas, especially in the rural areas there seemed to be shortage as many schools did not have their full complement of teachers due to low enrolment.

The Regional Director called for sensitisation and enrolment drives in such areas, stressing the need to undertake a serious and vigorous rationalization exercise to deploy teachers to where they were needed. Mrs. Debrah explained that many teachers "do not want to teach in the rural areas and this brings about over concentration of teachers in the urban areas.

She emphasized that teachers in the rural areas needed support, especially the female ones, who make a difference in the enrolment and retention of girls in school.

The Regional Director appealed to the District and municipal Assemblies and all stakeholders to help upgrade the competencies of teachers in the region.