Gomoa DCE declares war on absentee teachers

Gomoa Obiri (C/R), Jan 16, GNA - The Gomoa District Chief Executive (DCE), Ms Joyce Aidoo, has threatened to take stern against teachers who constantly absent themselves from school in a bid to reverse the falling standard of education in the District at the basic level. She said a surprise visit she paid to the Gomoa Nkran Primary/Junior Secondary School, Gomoa Kumasi District Assembly Primary/JSS and Gomoa Denkyira revealed that majority of the teachers had deserted their posts for various reasons.

Ms Aidoo gave the warning during the inauguration of a six-classroom block, an office and a store estimated at 250 million cedis at Gomoa Obiri in the Central Region to climax the annual Akwambo festival of the Chiefs and the people of the area.

She commended the Chiefs and the People initiating the project through self-help before attracting the District Assembly's attention for assistance to complete.

The DCE stated that while Gomoa Nkran recorded seven absentee teachers Kumasi had only two present with no teacher at post at Gomoa Denkyira.

Ms Aidoo expressed regret that at another visit to Gomoa Akropong Number One with the District Director of Education to hand over a six-unit classroom block to the community there was only the head-teacher and one teacher at post as at 0900 AM. She said the situation was such that the District Director, Mrs Emma Quarcoe, had to "teach the class one and two pupils who were playing on the school field".

Ms Aidoo warned that the Assembly would not countenance such actions, which were contributing to the falling standard of education in the district, adding that billions of cedis were being spent through the capitation grant that had increased enrolment. She said the District Assembly was spending a huge sum of its budget on educational infrastructure for the people had to derive the maximum profit and promised to be paying surprise visit to schools to check on the attendance of teachers.

The DCE assured the Chiefs and the people that plans had reached an advance stage to connect the town to the national electricity grid. Ms Aidoo commended the people for their communal spirit gave the assurance that a three-classroom block they had started for the JSS would get the Assembly's assistance.

Mr Kofi Ayuba, Gomoa Obiri Unit Committee Chairman, appealed to the Ministry of Roads and Transport to tar the streets of the town.