Sunyani (B/A), May 1, GNA - Children of school-going age of between six and eleven years in the Brong Ahafo region, numbering about 1,560, were found either not in school, dropped out of primary school or could not make it to the Junior High School during the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 academic years.

This was revealed at a three-day annual review workshop of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Education Sector for stakeholders in Sunyani to discuss the achievements and challenges of the sector. Participants included representatives of Municipal and District Assemblies, National Commission for Civic Education, Ghana Education Service, the regional House of Chiefs and religious bodies. In a resolution at the end of the workshop, the participants noted that the inability of parents to cater for their children, intimidation by some teachers and the distance from communities to schools, were problems affecting the education of the children. Mrs Akua A. Debrah, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Education said the enrolment figure declined as pupils progressed from the kindergarten through primary to the Junior High School and that most of the children who dropped out were girls.

She attributed the situation to mothers engaging their daughters to baby-sit whilst they attended to their jobs, denying such girls the opportunity to go to school. The regional director expressed regret that parents and guardians were moving their children from schools that were not included in the school feeding programme to beneficiary ones. She appealed to the government to expand the school feeding programme to cover more schools to curb the practice and asked heads of schools to supervise their teachers to help control the intimidation of the children. Mrs. Debrah called for the establishment of more special schools for the physically challenged, which should be sited close to communities.

She appealed to churches, communities, Non Governmental Organisations and philanthropists to support efforts to equip the technical institute in Nkoranza, establish science resource centres and provide accommodation for teachers among other things. Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, Omanhene of Sunyani traditional area, urged municipal and district directors of education to support each other to address challenges confronting the sector. He pledged his maximum support towards any project that would promote education in the region.