Regional News of Wednesday, 6 November 2002

Source: Chronicle

DCE Warns Non-Performing School Heads

Bibiani -- The District Chief Executive(DCE) of Bibiani Anhwiaso-Bekwai, Mr. Christopher Addai, has warned that henceforth any headmaster whose school does not perform in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) would be sacked.

He explained that the assembly believes that it is headmasters that are supposed to make sure that teachers and students do what would make their various schools progress in the BECE examinations.

Hon. Addai was speaking in an interview with the Chronicle at his office.

The DCE said plans are far advanced for the district assembly to motivate and encourage them to put up their best to enhance education in the district.

He continued that the assembly has already spent huge sums of monies in building staff quarters for teachers in the deprived areas in the district.

"The assembly also plans to organise an awards scheme for a best teacher in the district, which he believes would boost up teacher moral," he lamented.

According to Addai, there is no boarding secondary school in the district, therefore the assembly has started providing boarding facilities in schools like Bibiani Secondary School, to improve the standard of education in the district.

On the question of investment, he disclosed that, the assembly plans to exploit the large amount of plantain in the area to move into agro processing.

Addai said the assembly would concentrate on flour making and cocoa processing for the mean time.

He also touched on the making of bricks, which he stressed that it is done on small scale but plans are far advanced to expend it next year.

Answering a question on the acute water problem in the district he hinted that a number of bore holes are being constricted in the district to enhance the health of the village folks since the assembly is much concerned in providing portable water for the various communities in the district.

On timber, he stated that the government will start preaching post harvest rather than afforestation since the timber firms are not prepared to buy the idea of afforestation but continued to destroy the forest.

Addai stressed that even though the laws are there, majority of the timber firms don't comply with the law and urged the Ministry of Lands and Forestry to consider post harvest rather than afforestation.