About 113 classrooms in West Mamprusi without teachers
West Mamprusi District has more than 113 classrooms without teachers at the primary level.
In addition, 83 kindergartens are without teachers, Mr. Charles .B. Midzira, Assistant Director of Finance and Administration of the Ghana Education Service (GES) disclosed on Saturday at Walewale during the district level celebration of National Volunteer’s Day organized by the Net Organization for Youth Empowerment (NOYED).
At the Kindergarten level pupil teacher-ratio stands at 101:1 while at the primary level the district records 44:1 which seems to meet the national average.
Mr Midzira said: “When we consider the ratio with the trained teachers as against the total enrolment, the district has 90:1”.
The celebration, which brought together many volunteers of the national service scheme and other volunteer individuals serving as teachers, was to encourage them to continue giving out their best to enhance quality education in rural areas.
He said West Mamprusi District had 100 kindergarten schools, 120 primary schools and 65 Junior High Schools and at each level the teacher-pupil ratio was not the best and commended the volunteer teachers who he noted had been immense benefit in filling the gaps.
Mr. Midzira called for concerted efforts of all Ghanaians particularly teachers to strive hard in whatever situation they found themselves, for excellence and eschew practices that were likely to impact negatively on education.
Mr. Malechi Saibu, West Mamprusi District Director of the National Service Scheme the National Volunteer Service (NVS), was a joint initiative formed between Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), a British Non Governmental Organization and the Ghana National Service Scheme (GNSS) in 2003 with the aim of encouraging the youth into teaching to empower the youth for national development.
He said one of the objectives of the National Volunteer programme was to address the chronic shortage of teachers in rural Ghana by deploying volunteers, especially female teachers to act as role models for girls and re-kindle a sense of civic duty and pride in the youth.
Mr. Saibu noted that about 79,000 schools in 44,952 communities in Ghana have benefitted from the NV programme since its inception and indicated that the National Service Scheme was putting up proposals to engage SADA in meaningful use of the rich knowledge of national volunteers in the district.
Mr. Mohammed Awal Abukari, Finance and Administration Manager of NOYED-Ghana indicated that the NGO was committed to improving the quality of life of the youth and the vulnerable through the implementation of sustainable quality programmes.
He said his outfit entered a partnership with VSO to promote local volunteer initiatives so as to encourage the youth to make visible their contributions in achieving the MDGs.
The occasion was also used to present certificates to some volunteer teachers who were trained in lesson notes preparations and classroom management.
Source: GNA