EDUCATION DIRECTORS MUST REDOUBLE EFFORTS (PAGE 11, OCT 14)

THE MINISTER of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo has asked directors of education to redouble their efforts to ensure that the much talked about quality education delivery in the country will not be compromised.
This was contained in an address read on his behalf by his deputy, Dr Joseph Annan at the 16th annual Conference of Directors of Education (CODE) at Koforidua.
The conference with the theme “Financing Pre-Tertiary Education-The Role of Stakeholders” which was attended by all the district and regional directors of education was to examine issues affecting education and find solutions to inherent problems.
According to Mr Tettey-Enyo, the government and other stakeholders such as international development partners had invested so much in the country’s educational sector for quality delivery which could be accomplished if directors of education redoubled their efforts in that respect.
The Education Minister called on all stakeholders to mobilise and utilise all available resources to promote education and indicated that such an initiative would empower school children and students with the necessary skills to meet the challenges of the current technological and competitive world.
“The government has invested over GH¢1.7 billion in education and it is also being supported by private schools, parents, not for profit churches, Islamic schools and the international development partners who contribute between nin to 10 per cent of the education budget and you must help to ensure quality delivery to empower our children with the requisite skills that they require to be successful in this technological and competitive economic world order,” Mr Tettey-Enyo told the gathering.
He said since teachers also played a crucial role by ensuring quality education, the government would continue to motivate them to perform their duties effectively.
The education minister who also stated that education was the vehicle for national development was hopeful that its directors would live up to expectation.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo called on the directors to ensure the judicious utilisation of funds and tackle issues such as drunkenness, absenteeism among teachers and also ensure that teachers who benefited from study leave with pay returned to the classroom.
Parents and teachers, he also said must ensure that school children would make good use of the computer.
With regard to the posting of teachers to rural areas, he said the government had put in place incentive packages to that effect to ensure that all classrooms in such areas would have teachers.
In her address, the President of CODE, Mrs Sophia G. Awortwi said the main challenge facing directors of education was indiscipline among teachers and appealed to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to appreciate disciplinary measures instituted against teachers who become recalcitrant.
That, she stated would not only bring discipline into the teaching profession but would ensure that the dignity of directors of education would not be compromised.
Mrs Awortwi who also stated that directors who acted as heads of schools after the retirement of headmasters/headmistresses without being given any remuneration for the extra work done called for the speedy appointment of substantive heads for such schools.
She called for assistance for teachers so that they would be able to perform creditably.
The Omanhene of New Juaben, Daasebre (Professor) Oti Boaten who chaired the function expressed the hope that the directors would do what was expected to improve education in the country.