Performance in BECE and Teacher-Contact-Hours improve in Bolgatanga

Bolgatanga, Oct. 12 GNA 96 Performance of candidates in this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and Teacher-Contact-Hours in the Bolgatanga Municipality have improved, Municipal Director of Education, Mr Anthony Aziabah told a day's Educational Appraisal Conference on Tuesday.

He said the Municipality recorded 68 per cent passes in the 2006 BECE compared to 65 per cent in 2005, while Teacher-Contact-Hours has also moved from 42 per cent to 48 per cent.

The conference was organized by the Municipal Directorate of Education in collaboration with Link Community Development (LCD), an educational nongovernmental organisation (NGO), and was under the theme: "Quality Education for Development".

"Supervision of schools in the Municipality and other areas has increased from 50 per cent in 2005 to 58 per cent, thanks to financial and material support from LCD", he said.

The Education Director said school enrolment in the Municipality had increased tremendously and that the retention rate improved from 68 per cent in 2005 to 72 per cent this year, due to the introduction of the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding Programme.

He also attributed the achievements made so far to a similar Educational Appraisal Conference that was organized last year by his outfit in collaboration with LCD, and said inputs that were gathered at that conference were effectively implemented.

The Programme Director of LCD, Dr Kennedy Quaigrain, said LCD works directly with the Ghana Education Service (GES) in support of the national decentralization policy and emphasized that LCD programmes provide support in management and supervision in four districts. They are Bolgatanga Municipality; Talensi-Nabdam and Kassena Nankana Districts in the Upper East Region and the

Bosumtwe-Atwima-Kwanawoma District in the Ashanti Region. He said LCD currently works with 71 schools in the Upper East and 40 schools in Ashanti, supporting them in school development planning and community ownership.

"By working closely with district education staff, schools are encouraged to produce plans incorporating their own priorities. Training in community based fund raising and financial management is also provided for Head Teachers, School Management Committees and Parents Teacher Associations (PTA).

The Upper East Regional Director of Education, Mrs Elizabeth Mwinkaar, who chaired the function, said the conference was very crucial since it was only through such conferences that stakeholders could evaluate schools' performances and improve upon them for quality education to be achieved.

Participants were head teachers, Chairpersons/Chairmen of School Management Committees, and staff of the Bolgatanga Municipal Directorate of Education.