General News of Monday, 8 December 2003

Source: GNA

GES to review remuneration of its personnel

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has constituted a committee to review remuneration of its personnel to motivate them towards improved performance.

The GES will study the final report of the committee alongside the out come of the current debate on salaries, for acceptable salary levels in the service.

Mr. Michael Nsowah, Deputy Director-General in-Charge of Quality and Access Education said these at the 4oth Anniversary Celebration of Akatsi Training College (AKATSICO), which was under the theme "Quality Teacher Training Education: The core of National Growth and Development", on Saturday.

He noted that low moral among teachers due to poor remuneration was negatively affecting the implementation of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme.

Mr Nsowah said there was the need upgrade the knowledge and skills of teachers for effective teaching and learning.

He said a shorter training programme focused on the development of teaching skills would be most effective than "the present system under which teacher trainees devote much of their time to academic remedial courses".

Mr Nsowah reminded educational experts that the FCUBE programme recognised that the quality of teaching in schools and qualification of teachers would have to be raised to the diploma level.

Mr Nsowah said the diploma status posed a challenge to the teacher training colleges to take into consideration the characteristics that go into ensuring effective teacher training programmes to improve on performance in basic schools.

Mr Nsowah, therefore, appealed to district assemblies to support teacher trainees to enhance government's effort of meeting the increasing demands for teachers in the country.

Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister said government considered good quality education as a key to self-improvement of the individual.

He said a comprehensive teacher-training programme could assist in the development of education and called on all stakeholders assist teacher training colleges to produce the best material that "our children need in the basic schools".

Mr Owusu-Yeboa praised Akati Training College for the numerous good quality teachers it has produced over the years and appealed to the past students to assist the college to sustain the achievement.