ABYSMAL PERFORMANCE IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS ATTRIBUTED TO LACK OF SUPERVISION

Lack of effective supervision by circuit supervisors for public schools has been identified as a major setback responsible for the continuous abysmal performance in government schools.

As a result of this bad behaviour of the supervisors, teachers at the least chance absent themselves from school with the full conviction that supervisors will not come around.

This was disclosed by the head of Social Science Department Mr. John Agobre of Tamale Teacher training College at an annual review program organized by Young Christian Workers (Y.C.W) in Bawku yesterday with sponsorship from lbis –Ghana, an NGO.

(Y.C.W) is a voluntary catholic group helping Moslem children begging on the streets known in Arabic as Almajiri with formal education.

Mr. Agobre using a private school in Bawku as case study, Mother Theresa, which performance he described as superb even in the midst of conflict chalked hundred percent passes with excellent grade in last year B.E.C.E thought there was no single trained teacher, therefore, asked what was the difference?

He added that for private schools, pupils were given not less than three home works a day and for weekend not less than five home works with a column for parents to sign to indicate their supervision also at home, therefore, really keep the children busy with a little time to play.

However, in the public schools, teachers frequently absent themselves with impunity, “when it rains, no school, if anybody dies in their communities it is a big excuse, on market days is the some story, therefore the pupils are left to the mercy of the structure” he noted.

Hon. Agobre, who is also the Presiding Member for Bawku Municipal Assembly charged the Municipal and District Education Offices to intensify the supervision of their circuit supervisors to monitor the movement of the teacher especially rural areas, supervise their lesson notes as to improve the performance in public schools.

He asked the authorities also to supply them with fuel and maintaince allowance of their motorbikes regularly as that was always the bone of contention citing an example where a motor with flat tyre would take six months to receive attention.

The Presiding Member also urged Ghana Education Service not only fighting for salary increment for teachers but expedient action on teachers promotion especially those who have accepted postings to some inaccessible areas where they lack basic social amenities.

He was also not happy with the awards given to teachers like fans, T.V sets, saying which teacher has got such gadgets rather award them with motors or sponsorship packages for further studies to disabuse their minds that teachers’ rewards are in heaven.

Giving the background of Y.C.W, the Ghana President, Mr. Barnabas Aboriga explained that the association is Christian group that works with methodology of see, Judge and Act. With this direction, they identify problems in society, analyze and then act upon it to benefit humanity.
He added that as one of their numerous activities, they researched into the background of these Moslem boys roaming the street and people homes with containers in their hands dressed in tattered clothes begging in the name of religion describing their lives as undignified.

The Project Coordinator, Mr. Elias Atinbire said through the collaboration with Social Welfare, Commission on Human right and Administration Justice and Ghana Education Service, they educated the Mallams on the rights of children who they taught Quoran only which would benefit them in the Islamic religion but advise them to blend it with formal education.

Mr. Atinbire said the Mallams welcomed the idea; hence, they have been able to establish 10 non-formal classes with about 600 of such children and 20 were screened and enrolled into formal education because most of them were far above the lower primary age of schooling.

He added that currently other three classrooms structures are being constructed at Sagabo, a suburb of Bawku to absorb more of such children.

He explained the children go through a two-year cycle of non-formal education with materials and personals support from Non-formal education outfit where they learn the Quoran, English and innumeracy to give a preparatory background in order to compete with other children in the formal education.

The Bawku Municipal Assembly also pledged their support to decongest the streets with such children as such nuisance did not befit the status of the town as a transit point to other countries.


Godwin Nkunu
ISD-Bawku