ActionAid Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has called on the Ghana Education Service to ensure the full protection of pupils on campus and pursue the principles of fairness and equality in the provision of school infrastructure.

Mr. Edward Akapire, Acting Northern Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid Ghana, bemoaned the deplorable environment and conditions under which most pupils study, stressing that quality education cannot be achieved when infrastructure was poor.

He said most schools in the Northern Regions do not meet the demands of the International Convention on the Rights of Children and the Children’s Act of Ghana, noting that, children needed to be fully protected under these provisions while their right to education was also resulted.

Mr. Akapire raised these concerns in Tamale on Friday during a forum where a ten point education charter on the promotion of rights in schools were presented to the Metropolitan Director of Education in Tamale.

The forum was preceded by a float through the principal streets of the Tamale by pupils of Chagni, Bupiela, Nalung, Dimala, Ngarun, Kpene, Nyarezeel, Kunyavilla, Johnshegu, Kalariga and Ward E, all communities in the Metropolis.

Some of the pupils carried placards some of which read, “Children have a right to a safe and non-violent environment”, “We need quality time to study”, “We need access to ICT facilities”, “Respect the right of girls to privacy in our schools” among others.

Mr. Akapire urged the GES to implement the charter as it holds the key to the rights of pupils and quality education delivery.

Alhaji Haruna Friday, the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tamale, said government has the responsibility to deliver quality education through the provision of adequate infrastructure.

He said in fulfillment of that responsibility, government have been making numerous interventions at providing free school uniforms, free exercise books and other pro-poor policies; adding that, some schools that were under tress are being provided with beautiful structures, all geared towards improving education.

Alhaji Friday commended the lead role of ActionAid in education saying that, its activities were complementing that of the government.

Mr. Abdul-Rahman Saani, the Tamale Metropolitan Director of Education, expressed worry that despite serious monitoring and supervision to ensure quality education, some teachers were still flouting educational regulations by absenting themselves from school.

He said a lot of teachers in the Metropolis had been queried due to disobedience and absenteeism and warned that more teachers would be sanctioned should they keep that habit.

Mr. Saani expressed worry that the Ghanaian teacher’s commitment to teaching was gradually waning, saying, a lot of the young ones were just interested in money.**