HELP CHECK FALLING STANDARD OF EDUCATION (PAGE 14, DEC 12)

THE VICE President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has asked the people of Okere and the entire Akuapem area of the Eastern Region to identify the main factors that have in recent times contributed to the falling standard of education in the area.
That, according to him would make it possible to reverse the trend, which he said had dented the image of Akuapem as the cradle of education in the country.
The Akuapem area in recent times has witnessed an abysmal performance of pupils in the BECE , some of the junior high schools scoring zero per cent.
Mr Mahama made the remark when he addressed the annual Odwira Festival of the people of Okere at Adukrom, the traditional headquarters, recently.
According to the Vice President every child had the capacity to develop academically but that could not be possible due to a number of factors such as inability of teachers to properly guide them, inadequate educational materials or infrastructure and failure of parents to ensure that their children or wards would be regular at school.
Mr Mahama who cited a school which scored zero per cent at the BECE in the Central Region but scored 100 per cent the following year after the factors militating against the performance of the pupils were identified and rectified.
He also announced various initiatives such as the construction of police stations, one at Adukrom, and the putting up of a girls’ dormitory for the Nifa Senior High School to replace the current structure being used by the girls, which is close to that of the boys.
Mr Mahama also commended the chief of Okere, Osuodumgya Otutu Kono III, for leading his people to undertake a number of projects in the area to improve the lot of the people.
Osuodumgya Otutu Kono who had set up a foundation to assist needy pupils and students in the area deplored the low performance of pupils at the BECE and asked parents and teachers as well as the government to see how best to address the issue.
He also called on the government to expedite work on the construction of the girls’ dormitory at the Nifa SHS, a police station at Adukrom as well as other social amenities that would improve the lot of the people.
He further solicited for government assistance to resolve the protracted chieftancy dispute in the Akuapem area which according to him if not resolved on time had the tendency of disturbing the peace of the area.