257 teachers redundant in eight districts

Cape Coast, May 11, GNA - Overstaffing in 165 public and private primary schools in eight districts in the Central Region has rendered a total of 257 teachers redundant.

However, 171 schools within the same districts need a total of 252 more teachers.

The Assin South District has 62 redundant teachers, Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese 52, Cape Coast 44, Mfantsiman 25, Upper Denkyira 22, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa 20, Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam 17 and Agona 15. These are contained in the region's 'preliminary education sector performance report' presented at the first 'regional education annual review meeting' which ended at Cape Coast on Wednesday. District chief executives, coordinating directors, district education directors, chiefs and NGOs, attended the meeting.

The report centres on equitable access to education, quality of education, education management, science and technical and vocational education and training and financial management.

It shows a drop in the number of trained teachers in both private and public basic schools in the region, with trained teachers in public basic schools dropping from 63 percent in the 2004/2005 academic year to 59.2 percent in 2005/2006, and private schools from 19.8 percent to 15.4 percent within the same period.

Cape Coast, Agona and Mfantsiman districts have an appreciable percentage of trained teachers in their public schools and seven other districts had less than 50 percent, during the 2005/2006 academic year. It showed that 43 percent of teachers in the eight districts with redundant teachers are untrained and that 37 percent of them are pursuing a diploma in basic education programme in the two training colleges in the region.

On study leave, the report shows that of the quota of 3,000 teachers approved to proceed on study leave nationwide, 406 teachers representing 34 percent are teachers in the region. On school enrolment, it said the school feeding programme has impacted positively on teaching and learning and that the total number of pupils in the six beneficial districts, increased from 4,566 in 2005/2006 academic year to 6,227 in 2006/2007 Despite the improvement, about 25 percent of children of school going-age is still not in school. On the state of primary schools in the region, the report shows that 1,976 of the 3,219 school blocks are in good condition, representing 33 percent.

Eight percent are dilapidated and that about two and less than one percent of schools held their classes under sheds and trees respectively.

The report expresses concern that science resource centres and workshops in the region, are also not as functional as expected, and lack equipment, while the existing ones, are not maintained, thereby making it impossible to meet the needs of their satellite schools. In his address Mr Ato Essuman, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education Science and Sports, said district education directors will soon be provided with laptop computers hooked to the internet to enhance their work.

) Fourteen passengers identified in the Winneba accident

Winneba, May 11, GNA - Fourteen people who died in an accident on Friday near Winneba have been identified, Ms Millicent Quampah, Environmental Officer at the Winneba Government Hospital, said on Friday.

Ms Quampah said the victims, who were identified through identity cards and other travelling documents on them, were nine Liberians, two Nigerians, two Togolese and one Beninoise.

Thirty-five people died on the spot and the rest later on admission on the Winneba government hospital.

Mr. Nicholas Gasu, Winneba District Police Commander, said an Abidjan/Lome/Nigeria bound passenger bus on its way to Nigeria crashed with an articulator truck loaded with cocoa heading towards Takoradi Port, killing 35 people on the spot.

He said this made some drivers and other sympathizers travelling to pack their vehicles to assist in clearing the road to ensure the free-flow of vehicles to and from Accra.

Mr. Gasu said in the process another articulator truck loaded with cocoa to the Takoradi port ran into five vehicles including and injured some passengers.