Lack of trained teachers affecting quality education in U/E

  

Enrolment figures of Public basic schools in the Bolgatanga Municipality, had suffered a considerable decline over the past years, whereas that of the private schools are increasing over time. The current enrolment figure for public basic schools stands at 40,271, a figure lower than the previous year’s figure of 40,725 which is also lower than 2012 figure of 41,152. Most parents now prefer sending their wards to private schools primarily because academic standards at the public schools continue to fall despite efforts by stakeholders in education to address the challenge. The unfortunate turn of event is evident in the abysmal performance of students that took part in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Basic Education and Certificate Examination (BECE). For the past three years, schools in the municipality have failed to reach a 50 percent score in the BECE exam with female candidates being the worst performers. This came to light at an engagement forum in Bolgatanga, jointly organized by the Municipal Education Directorate and the assembly.  Lamenting on the declining trend  of education in the municipality, the Planning and Statistics Officer at the Municipal Education Directorate, Godfred Titiga, identified inadequate teaching and learning materials (TLM) and poor school infrastructure as some challenges affecting quality teaching and learning in schools. He moreover attributed the continuous fall of education to lack of trained teachers in the municipality. He said though the municipality could boast of a high teacher population, majority of them have not had any professional training. This, he observed has undoubtedly contributed to significant decline in the level of academic output at the basic level. Mr Titiga therefore called on stakeholders in education to take a second look at the situation and provide constructive recommendations to address it. He also called for an improvement in the provision of physical infrastructure, TLMs, classroom furniture, supervision, teacher award schemes, and extension of the school feeding programme to deprived schools in the municipality. Various stakeholders including retired educationists also proposed solutions to enhance quality education in the municipality. Key among the solutions was the need for teacher motivation and supervision in schools.

GBC                                                                  END                                                                    IA