Education Director cautions absentee teachers

The Sunyani Municipal Director of Education, Kwabena Fosu Gyeabour, has cautioned teachers, especially those teaching in rural areas, against absenteeism and lateness.

These attitudes, according to Mr. Fosu Gyeabour, do not only affect teaching and learning, but also negates efforts of government in providing quality education in the country.

He, therefore, entreated teachers to give of their best, in order to find a lasting solution to the fallen standard of education in the country, particularly in the deprived areas.

Mr. Gyeabour was speaking at a presentation durbar, organised by the Organisation of Rural Primary Education Developers (ORPED) Ghana, in collaboration with African Media Aid (AFRIMA), at Adantia in the Sunyani West District of the region.

The durbar formed part of activities under its project, “Million Balls Africa Project for Children and Young people,” when 12 footballs were donated to three schools at Adantia.

The Million Balls Africa Project seeks to use the gift of a ball to promote reading among children, talent development, tree planting and peace building among African communities.

The beneficiary schools were the Adantia Presbyterian and R/C Primary schools, as well as the Adantia Junior High School.

The Million Balls project, which is the initiative of ORPED Ghana, aimed at taking advantage of the twin events of theCup of Nations and FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by Angola and South Africa, to solicit for a million footballs to be distributed free of charge to school children across Africa.

The Sunyani Municipal Director of Education, Mr. Fosu Gyeabour, urged the communities to provide accommodation for teachers posted to their areas, to enable them stay in the communities, and teach their children.

The District Chief Executive for Sunyani West, Mr. K. Ankama-Kyeremeh, expressed worry over the increase of drug abuse among students in the country, especially the smoking of Indian hemp, and drinking of alcohol.

The DCE therefore entreated students to desist from such behaviour, and rather concentrate on their books for a better future.

Mr. Ankama-Kyeremeh also urged parents to be responsible, and provide the needs of their children.

He was grateful to ORPED Ghana and AFRIMA for the project, and hoped that it would go a long way to improve education in the district.

The DCE promised that the Sunyani West District Assembly would do it best to support the project, to make it a success.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AFRIMA and Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinator for the project, Raphael Godlove Ahenu Jr., noted that women and children in developing countries walked an average of four miles or more per day, just to fetch water, making many girls dropping out of school to perform this task.

He further revealed that over half of the hospital beds in the developing world, were occupied by people suffering from preventable diseases, caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.

The CEO of AFRIMA said the project would help improve sanitation, and access to safe water in the beneficiary communities, especially in schools.

Mr. Ahenu Jr. said Adantia and Yabraso in the Tain District were the communities that had been selected in the region, for the pilot project.

He noted that reading clubs would be established in the schools, while Peace Volunteers Clubs would also be formed in the communities, as he appealed to the communities to support the project.

The Chief of Adantia, Nana Kwame Apraku, urged the government to make sure that school children in his community, also benefit from the School Feeding Programme.

Nana said he and his elders would monitor the project, to ensure that its objectives were achieved.

Nana Apraku has released one acre of land for tree planting under the project.