Bechem Teacher End Evaluation Course

Bechem (B/A), July 7, Poor performance in teaching and learning is the root cause of the downward trend of academic performance of pupils in the basic schools, especially in the public sector. Mr. J.K. Ameyaw, Director of Education for Tano District, said this in his closing address at a one-day seminar for teachers of primary and junior secondary schools in the district on job evaluation at Bechem yesterday. He said professional teachers need to work very hard to enhance learning in public schools. Mr. Ameyaw referred to the 1996 summary of the criteria reference test results and said the poor results of pupils in the public sector is ample proof that much have to be done to reverse the trend. Mr. Ameyaw said according to the criteria reference test results, while private schools had 56.5 per cent passes in the English Language, public schools scored only 5.5 per cent. In Mathematics, private schools had 31 per cent but the public school had only 1.8 per cent. Mr. Ameyaw blamed the low standard of education in public schools on poor supervision by headteachers and circuit supervisors. He, therefore, called on headteachers to supervise their teachers in their classroom work, while circuit supervisors also should intensify their supervisory work in schools under them. Mr. Frank Oscar Awah, an Assistant Director of Education who spoke on the school improvement fund, said the scheme is to help improve teaching and learning in primary schools.

Kwabenya (GAR), July 7, The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Mr. J.E. Afful, today said government expects the African scientific community to understand and master traditional technologies in order to influence progress in the rural areas. ''In addition, we must aim at adopting modern technologies and adapting them to the production of goods and services commonly used by our people while at the same time we strive to become closely associated with newly developed technologies,'' he said. Mr. Afful, whose speech was read for him by Mr. Lee T. Ocran, his deputy, was addressing the opening session of a two-week African Regional Cooperative Agreement (AFRA) training course for reactor instrumentation personnel at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Kwabenya, near Legon. The course is being attended by 12 participants from Ghana, Algeria, Syria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Zaire, Nigeria and Morocco. It is the second AFRA training course for reactor personnel and the first instrumentation course in Ghana which aims at collecting and disseminating information on the state of the art technology and future trends for research reactors instrumentation and control. Mr. Afful said the workshop was taking place at a time when the world is striving for excellence in the area of nuclear science and technology, adding: ''we in Ghana, like all developing countries, believe that science and technology holds the key to our future prosperity''. ''Indeed, our capacity to grapple with the issues of science and technology will go a long way in determining our socio-economic progress,'' he said. The minister said in line with Ghana's Vision 2020 document, ''it is envisaged that science and technology will be the driving force that would propel the country's economic growth''.