Basic Schools need 16,000 teachers - Baah- Wiredu

Accra, Nov. 21, GNA - There is a shortfall of 16,000 teachers in Basic Schools in the country, Mr Kwadjo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, said on Friday.

Mr Baah Wiredu said a study carried out by the University of Cape Coast revealed that only 86,000 trained teachers and 24,000 untrained ones were at post instead of the required number of 126,000 teachers for basic schools in country.

He said this during an interaction between Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) representatives in Ghana and winners of the 2003 JICA Best Teacher Awards, who had returned from a three-week study tour of Japan.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said efforts were being made to fill up the vacancies that existed and to improve the facilities in most of schools.

He commended the Japan Government for assisting Ghana with an 86 million dollar grant in support of the country's road network.

He urged the winners to be innovative in the way of teaching so that the students would learn new things from them adding that hard working teachers would be given the necessary recognition.

Mr Tsuneo Takahata, JICA Resident Representative, said JICA together with the Government of Japan would continue with its efforts to strengthen Ghana's education sector as well as the best teacher award.

He said Japan in the course of its development had chosen education as its first priority because it was important to strengthen the young people, who actually became the core actors on the economy.

The Reverend Ama Afo Blay, Director General of the Ghana Education Service, expressed the hope that the winners would put more efforts in their work and make a difference in their various schools.

Mr Emmanuel Ayamga, a teacher from Salaga Senior Secondary School, who was the leader of the group, said they were taken through lectures, in-house seminars and field trips.

He said the programme had increased their knowledge and skills and exposed them to new methods of teaching, which would make them role models in their work places.

Mr Ayamga called on the GES to strengthen its school supervision and to also increase the number of in-house training programmes for teachers.

The other three teachers were, Mr Latopa I. Uthman, from the T.I Ahamayiyya Senior Secondary School in Gomoa Potsin, Central Region; Ms Florence Asomaning, of Nkawkaw Christian Junior Secondary School and Ms Gifty Anang from Obuasi Methodist Junior Secondary School.