DCE Vows To Improve Standard Of Education In West Gonja

The District Chief Executive for West Gonja in the northern region, Hon Saeed Muhazu Jibril, has promised to do everything humanly possible to improve the standard of education in the district by collaborating with the right stakeholders.

'It is very sad to inform the house that five schools from Damongo, the district capital scored zero percent in this year's June Basic Education Certificate Examination(BECE). This is totally unacceptable and is unheard of anywhere in Ghana'.

The Hon DCE said this at the third and final ordinary meeting of the assembly for the year 2017 held at the conference hall, Damongo.

He explained that measures will be put in place to halt the fall of education standard in the district and hinted that transfers and other important measures that will put teachers, parents and students on toes to improve education, will be put in place.

The District Education Team has been put in place to deal with the situation. If there is a need for us to reshuffle teachers, we will do it to save the future of our children without fear or favour he added.

Hon Jibril assured the house that his outfit in collaboration with other stakeholders will soon get a substantive District Education Director for the district.

'Out of Seven hundred and thirty-seven (737) candidates who sat for the June 2017 BECE, only one hundred and fifty-six students obtained aggregate *6-30* comprising 68 females and 88 males'. Those that obtained aggregate 30 and above were 578 consisting 303 females and 275 males.

The percentage pass is just 21.25% and a whopping 78.75% failed as compared to 2016 which had a pass mark of 23.54% and 76.46% failed.

It sad to inform the house that five(5) JHS scored zero percent. They are St. Anne's JHS B, Canteen JHS B, Yipala JHS, Kabampe JHS and Word Miracle JHS.

The report also has it that two schools scored below 10%, fourteen scored below 50% and only three scored above 50%.

A private JHS, New Life JHS obtained the best score with 89% pass mark.

The DCE disclosed that some new teachers have been posted and appealed to Hon Assembly members to assist the 38 beginning teachers posted to the various electoral areas with accommodation in order to help improve quality education in the district.

On health, the DCE revealed that index cases of meningitis for the season were two. A 60-year-old male resident of Kabampe community in the Laribanga sub-district was diagnosed with meningitis, caused by Streptococcus pneumonia on 4th December 2017 and he died the following day. The second case was reported on 12th December 2017 . That is the death of a 20year old student from Damongo Senior High School.

He, however, assured the public that the meningitis situation has not reached an outbreak but the case of *alert*.

As a result, a team was deployed to all second cycle institutions in the district to carry out sensitization exercise on meningitis and it's preventive measures. Overall, over three thousand students were reached, and another team deployed to Radio PAD, a community-based radio station in Damongo for the same purpose.

On finances, the DCE revealed that the assembly had the following receipts within the period.

Internal Generated. Fund(IGF) was GHc 376,718.50,
District Assembly Common Fund(DACF)--1,093,086.84 comprising 4th quarter of 2016, and first and second quarters of 2017 with SIP and Fumigation.

District Assembly Common Fund for People With Disabilities(PWD) was just gGHC5,000, with RING donor project recording 1,575,842.60. The DDF recorded zero funds, whilst the MP Common Fund was GHc 152,842.60 and GOG, 133,777.68

The above resources have been expended on projects and programmes of the assembly in accordance with the Public Financial Management Act. he added

He further reported to the house about the activities of Agriculture sector, Environmental Health and Sanitation as well as Security.

Welcoming members back to the house, the Presiding Member of the district Hon Dramani Katribi said there was a need to expand electricity, opening and improving road networks and provision of potable water for the electorates and commended the assembly for the improvement made on the cemetery and Bishop roads.

He also commended the security agencies for the good job done within the period and demanded the strengthening of the sector during this yuletide especially on traffic offences.

Mr. Katribi appealed to administration to commission the Busunu Police station for use and the resourcing of the Ghana National Fire Service to embark on bushfires education campaign to avert any unforeseen circumstances

He further appealed for steps to be taken immediately to halt the falling standard of education as it was taking a nose dive.

He commended the health directorate for their swift response after a student died of meningitis and the discomfort it brought to parents, students and other stakeholders.

On information dissemination, he admonished the administration to timely inform members about proceedings of the assembly at their electoral areas to avert misinformation or distortions for effective administration.

The third and final assembly meeting was attended by heads of departments, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders among others.