Kumasi, Nov. 21, GNA - Government has spent about 1.7 million Ghana cedis on educational infrastructure in Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwnoma District.

These are 22 three-unit classroom blocks at 660,000 Ghana cedis, 10 six-unit classroom blocks at 550,000 Ghana cedis, eight two-unit day-care centres at 210,000 Ghana cedis and three, four-unit teachers' quarters at 210,000 Ghana cedis.

Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, Ashanti Regional Minister, disclosed these in an address read on his behalf at an Educational Conference on School Performance Appraisal on Ghana Education Service (GES) and Link Community Development (LCD) in Kumasi on Tuesday. The conference, organised by Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwnoma District Directorate of Education in partnership with LCD, an NGO operating in the district was under the theme "Stakeholders and the New Education Reform".

It was attended by representatives from more than 160 School Management Committees, Parent Teacher Associations, Heads of Basic Schools, Circuit Supervisors, Directors of Education, assembly members, representatives from Department of Social Welfare, Managers of Schools and officials from Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT). Mr Owusu-Ansah said about 430,000 Ghana cedis would be spent on the construction of five schools under the Social Investment Fund Projects. He said 200,000 Ghana cedis had been spent on capitation grant and 78,300 Ghana cedis on School Feeding Programme in the district. Mr Owusu-Ansah was optimistic that results on data collected on performance monitoring tests, conducted in the district in English and Mathematics and submitted at the Conference would be replicated by LCD in collaboration with other districts for the benefit of the region. Dr Kennedy Quaigrain, Ghana Country Director of LCD said the programme was being conducted in 40 communities to improve performance in schools.

He explained that the School Performance Review (SPR) was a unique and participatory approach that identified how well children were learning at all levels to enable disadvantaged communities improve on their livelihoods and participate in civil society through better access to quality education.

"This is achieved through disseminating data to community level, creating grassroots pressure on schools to improve, and increasing parents' role in school management," Quaigrain added. Mr Quaigrain appealed for assistance from the GES and donors to the SPR process to be replicated in many districts. Mrs Agnes Okyere Gyamfi, Acting Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma District Director of Education said there was the need for stakeholders in education to offer the needed support and advice to move education forward.

The participants discussed the results of the performance appraisal based on data to explore the strengths, weaknesses in ensuring effective teaching and learning and develop effective and efficient strategies to improve the performance of pupils in the district.