From Edmond Gyebi, Tamale
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sagnarigu, Alhassan Mohammed Sorogudoo, has dropped the hint to join forces with the District Education Directorate and heads of Basic Schools in the area to heavily clampdown on recalcitrant and nonperforming teachers, whose demeanour sought to negatively affect the performance of pupils in the annual Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to the DCE, his administration would not countenance with any such wayward teachers, and vowed to “show them the exit” from the district.
Mr. Alhassan Mohammed Sorogudoo gave the warning when addressing some teachers, assembly members and traditional leaders in the Sagnarigu District, during the official commissioning of a kindergarten block for the Choggu-Yapalsi Primary School. The project is one of the 159 educational projects being constructed by the government of Ghana with a $19.7 million sponsorship from the USAID meant to fill the gaps of education infrastructure in deprived communities across Ghana.
The projects comprise of 50 kindergartens, 49 junior high schools, 15 education directorates and 45 water closet toilet facilities across the country in 38 deprived districts. So far, 53 out of 68 of such projects have been completed in the Northern Region and handed over to the beneficiary communities. However, Alhassan Mohammed Sorogudoo commended the US government for the projects.
He said the intervention was in line with the government’s desire to make quality education accessible to all citizens of Ghana. He indicated that the Sagnarigu District was the only district in the Northern Region after the Tamale Metropolis that had excess teachers of 618, and could not, therefore, have any reason to perform abysmally than other schools that have inadequate teachers.
Mr. Mohammed Sorogudoo further indicated that the Assembly had also provided several educational infrastructure to enhance quality teaching and learning. Last two months alone, the Sagnarigu District handed over seven new six-unit classroom blocks to some communities, and several water closet toilet facilities added to the schools to enhance sanitation.
The Director of Funds and Procurement at the Ministry of Education, Dr. Felix Nelson Amoakoh, said that the US government (USAID) sees education as one of the strong pillars that could move the economy of Africa, hence the support. Ghana is benefiting $19.7 million from the USAID to improve on educational infrastructure and the quality of teaching and learning.
The Northern Region alone is to benefit from 22 kindergartens, 22 JHS blocks, 22 water closet toilet facilities and two education directorates. The Headmistress of the Choggu-Yapalsi Primary School, Zeliyatu Mahamoud, thanked the government and the USAID for alleviating their plight.
According to her, the swift intervention from the USAID had saved the school children from being sent home anytime there were signs of rain or heavy storms, as a result of the dilapidated nature of their existing classroom block. The Sagnarigu DCE also commissioned a water closet toilet project at Kanvili, which was also funded by the USAID.
The contractor of the projects, Issaka Balima Amadu of Balima Construction Company Limited, once again exhibited his generosity, as he surprised the schools with the donation of 600 note books as his personal contribution to the development of education in the Sagnarigu District.