Koforidua, June 27, GNA - A baseline study conducted on the performance of pupils in primary schools by the Quality Improvement in Primary Schools (QUIPS) project has revealed a worsening trend in the use of the English language in public schools.

Whereas schools being supported under the QUIPS project saw an increase of 3.29 and 3.20 change in the mean scores for primary two and four respectively, the mean scores for non-QUIP schools dropped by negative 2.87 and negative 5.68 for primary two and four pupils respectively.

Mr S.Y. Manu, Director, Co-operative Agreement of Improving Learning through Partnerships (ILP), a component of QUIPS, made this revelation at a review forum of the project at Koforidua in the Eastern Region on Friday.

District Chief Executives, District Directors of Education and other stakeholders in the education sector in the Eastern and Volta Regions attended the one-day forum under the theme "Sustaining QUIPS Best Practices."

The project, which started in 1997, is being funded by the United States Agency for International Development(USAID) aimed at raising the quality of teaching and learning in primary schools. Mr Manu stressed the need for the use of "an appreciative inquiry and positive reinforcement techniques" to motivate children to learn instead of using corporal punishment.

He recommended to teachers to be proactive in the delivery and presentation of lessons, using a variety of child-centred learning methods as well as emphasizing the use of continuous assessment to make each child a successful learner.

In this regard, he also recommended the adoption of the reading techniques that have been developed by QUIPS to be introduced in basic schools to make children able to read and write.

In an address read on his behalf, Mr Rashid Bawah, Minister of State for Youth and Sports, urged the participants to co-operate with each other as a first step towards achieving sustainable quality education delivery in the country.

This, he said, was in view of the fact that districts that are experiencing academic improvements were doing so because of the excellent rapport between the DCEs and the District Directors of Education.

The Education Management Specialist of the Ghana Office of USAID, Mrs Elsie Menorkpor, announced the take-off of the second phase of QUIPS, which, she said, would run until 2010. This phase, she added, would build on the successes of the previous phase and would focus, among others, on increasing opportunities for girls in areas where educational facilities are poor. June 27, 04