From Richard Owusu-Akyaw
District Directors of Education from have not received their share of logistics and learning materials supplied by the government.
Some of the directors also complained about the quality of chalk being supplied, saying they are so bad in quality that teachers are compelled to use two boxes of chalk a day, a situation, they claim, makes them run out of stock quickly. These were disclosed at a meeting of the education directors with the Ashanti Regional Minister in Kumasi recently.
Mr. Peter Anarfi-Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, admonished District Education Directors and District Chief Executives (DCEs) to create a constant forum of dialoguing to address education issues affecting education at the Basic and various Senior High schools (SHS).
He implored the authorities to monitor the flow of logistics such as chalk, registers and others carefully. “Create a forum for authorities to know what to do,” he urged. The Minister also craved the indulgence of the authorities, noting that they need to intensify their checks on logistics in schools.
Mr. Anarfi-Mensah noted that currently, the government has absorbed tuition fees at the basic level, and that pupils are only to pay Parent Teachers Association (PTA) fees, and urged DCEs and education directors to ensure full compliance with the directive.
According to him, the government had provided enough logistics to schools to ensure quality education. Mr. Anarfi-Mensah urged Circuit Educational Supervisors to step up their supervision role in spite of their challenges, to help the authorities know the true picture of logistics on the ground.
Mrs. Mary Owusu Achiaw, Regional Director of Education, seconded the suggestion by the Regional Minister, and urged them to intensify monitoring of logistics in partnership with the DCEs. She also recommended the setting up of a school fees audit taskforce by district directors of education.