NEED FOR MORE TRAINED TEACHERS (PAGE 11, AUGUST 13, 2010)

THE Northern Regional Director of Education, Mrs Elizabeth De-Souza, has stated that bridging the education gap between the north and south requires the churning out of a higher number of trained and committed teachers in Northern Ghana.
She observed that the high percentage of untrained teachers in the region and the north at large was partly to blame for the existing quality education gap between the north and south.
Mrs De-Souza stated this during an inaugural ceremony for 240 teacher trainees who were benefiting from the Untrained Teachers Diploma Basic Education (UTDBE) programme in Tamale.
It was sponsored by the Child Reach International Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in collaboration with the Alliance for Change in Education (ACE) programme of Ibis Ghana, an NGO.
The director lamented that her visits to some schools in the West Mamprusi and other districts in the region indicated that a significant number of teachers were not committed their work resulting in absenteeism and lateness to school.
What is happening in some schools is really sad and in spite of the provision of decent accommodation in some districts, most teachers have failed to be committed to their work as some of them leave the children to loiter about without any teachers guiding them, she noted.
Mrs De-Souza suggested to NGOs, district assemblies and other public spirited organisations who were sponsoring teacher trainees to institute formal agreement to compel the trainees to serve their respective communities as well as to be committed to their work.
“Until they are committed, their training would be meaningless and I must say that the whole of the north might not need their services again if they refuse to go back and serve their respective communities” she stressed.
“The Northern Region still has a high percentage of pupil teachers, she noted.
The Savelugu-Nanton District Director of Education, Madam Adriana Kandilige said there were 358 trained and 437 untrained teachers in the district.
That, she said included 121 community teaching assistants, adding that the district needed to organise a lot of training courses for them to enhance effective teaching and learning.
Madam Kandilige, however, expressed concern about the loss of contact hours, absenteeism, lateness to school and early closure of schools due to the lack of commitment on the part of teachers.
She noted that although the district was close to the Tamale Metropolis, it did not benefit significantly from the supply of trained teachers.
Madam Kandilige expressed regret that although the district assembly had constructed a good number of teachers’ quarters, most of the teachers in the area preferred to live in Tamale and commute daily to and from their respective schools in the district.
According to her, the teachers complained of lack of potable water and electricity in their communities.
She, therefore, announced that the district directorate of education had instituted an awards scheme to honour teachers who accepted postings to the district and stayed for at least two years.The ACE Co-ordinator, Mr Eric Kavaarpuo said the Gushiegu and Karaga districts have about 181 trained and 603 untrained teachers.
“It is our hope to double the number of trained teachers in Karaga and Gushiegu by 2013,” he stated.