GES DIRECTORS MEET AT HO (PAGE 11)

Story: Tim Dzamboe, Ho

ABOUT six months after the introduction of the educational reform, regional directors of the Ghana Education Service (GES) have met in Ho in the Volta Region to map out strategies to contain the challenges emerging out of the reform.
The directors, made up of eight women and two men will pass a resolution at the end of the two-day brainstorming and note-comparing sessions guided with salient issues raised by major stakeholders in the education sector.
The stakeholders are the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Association of Principals of Technical Institutes (APTI), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Principals of Conference of Teacher Training Colleges (PRINCOFF), Conference of Directors of Education (CODE) and Conference of Managers of Educational Units (COMEO).
The central message in their solidarity messages dwelt on the need for the directors to champion the cause for an enabling environment in all educational institutions with the provision of more logistics to push the reforms ahead.
Other problems identified include the late release of funds to the districts, the need to strengthen Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) facilities in the education sector, the improvement of the channel of communication at all levels and the reverse of the low profile given to vocational and technical education.
The rest were the need to enhance the salaries of teachers to give them the impetus to deliver their services effectively, delayed promotions, non-payment of transfer grants and the refund of medical expenses.
Addressing the opening ceremony, the Volta Regional Director of the GES, Mrs Olivia Sosu, said the alarming attrition rate of teachers undermined the smooth implementation of the new school reform programme, adding that there were more than 4,000 pupil teachers in the Volta Region alone.
She said there was also the need to improve the supply of water, electricity and communication services, as well as a means of transport in schools.
Mrs Sosu said with the advent of the new educational reforms, concerted efforts were required to reduce the effect of the nagging problems identified, adding that if the new reform package should succeed,there should be regular features of meetings among all stakeholders to make them aware of their failures in order to strategise for the expected levels of success.
In an address read on his behalf, the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Dzamesi, underscored formal education as a tool for personal and national development, and said that was why the government had taken bold steps to reform the system with the view to ensuring that education met national goals and aspirations.
He, therefore, urged them to be loyal, dedicated, focused, committed and dispassionate in the discharge of their duties.
Mr Dzamesi advised them to approach their duties without any blemish and to handle the limited resources channeled through the sector judiciously, stressing that they should ensure that high standard of discipline was restored in schools to enable children grow into responsible and disciplined citizens.