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General News of Wednesday, 3 April 2019

Source: starrfm.com.gh

Stop the drama, writing exams on board not new – Education Ministry to teachers

Director of Communications at the Ministry of Education, Ekow Vincent Assafuah Director of Communications at the Ministry of Education, Ekow Vincent Assafuah

The Director of Communications at the Ministry of Education, Ekow Vincent Assafuah has expressed concerns over the decision by teachers to share pictures on social media over how they are compelled to write the second term examination questions on board for their pupils to answer.

Social media space in Ghana is currently awash with Pictures of teachers writing exam questions on black boards.

Many Ghanaians have expressed anger on social media at the development which they describe as embarrassment to the nation. The Ghana Education Service which manages schools in the country is yet to comment on the pictures.

Reports however suggest that monies needed to print exam questions have not been sent to the schools by the Central government.

Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Wednesday, spokesperson for the education ministry Vincent Assafuah said even though the payment of the capitation grant, which was to be used to print the exam papers delayed, the teachers are wrong to dramatise with the situation.

“Why the dramatization? Is it because teachers were getting some money from what was being paid earlier and now they don’t get? So they are angry? Writing on the board is not a new phenomenon, how did they write their class test. If that is the only way the poor can get education then so be it.

“Yesterday half of the money they needed to print the papers have been paid. We agree that payment delayed but it shouldn’t be a means of drama by our teachers, I frown at that and it is unacceptable, teachers dramatizing with the situation is uncalled for,” he said.

Meanwhile, an education consultant and a member of the Ghana National Education Coalition Kofi Asare has berated the ongoing situation saying it takes Ghana many years back.

“ The inefficiency is taking us back into ten years ago. Writing on boards affects the performance of students in BECE exams. This ambulance service approach in our educational sector must be looked at. The capitation grants have not been sent to the schools since the beginning of the academic year. We have engaged government on this severally. We need to understand that a school cannot be managed without money.

“We are tired of the English and Grammar from the Education Ministry. We want to see some action. Let’s not create the impression that because the Free SHS is a political promise, we have to pay attention to it and neglect the basic school education which is a constitutional right,” he told Francis Abban Wednesday.