Capacity building workshop held for SMCs/PTAs in Nkoranza North

A day’s capacity building training workshop attended by 115 participants selected from schools in 15 communities in the Nkoranza North District of the Brong-Ahafo Region, has ended at Busunya, the district capital.

The training, which was aimed at equipping participants with management skills in the management of schools, attracted 100 participants of School Management Committees (SMCs) and 15 members of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs).

It was funded by STAR-GHANA, under the initiative of Partnering for Inclusive Education in Northern Ghana (PIENG), a non-governmental organisation.

The initiative aims to promote basic school education in the Nkoranza North and the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region.

Mr. Stephen Kobom, Project Officer of PIENG, said the NGO’s objective was to ensure a systematic improvement in education in the districts' two directorates of education.

Mr. Kobom announced, the project would work hard to increase retention, transition and performance of girls as well as children with disabilities and the migrant ones, adding that the PIENG project would serve the district for three years.

He therefore stressed the need for SMC/PTA members to work hard as major stakeholders in education delivery to bring about improvement in the quality of education.

Mr. Kobom called on the Nkoranza North District Assembly to collaborate with the District Directorate of Education to offer the necessary support towards the activities of the SMCs/PTAs to succeed in their efforts to improve upon standard of education.

Mr. James Appiah-Kusi, Nkoranza North District Director of Education commended the participants for their voluntary services towards the promotion of education in the communities.

He deplored the negative attitudes by some parents, who shirked their responsibilities towards the education of their children and advised such parents to change.

He expressed gratitude to the PIENG for considering the plight and education of the youth of the new district and urged the chiefs, elders, opinion leaders and people of the school communities to support the project.

The Nkoranza North District Girls Education Officer, Madam Joyce Ampomah expressed regret about the increasing rate of girls drop-out in communities and blamed the situation partly on parental neglect.

Madam Ampomah, therefore asked participants to pay regular visits to individual schools to know the challenges of the girl-child to be able to advise parents appropriately.

Such support from the parents to their girl-children could help to address the problem of teenage pregnancies which is common in the communities, she added.**