Wa, Aug. 4, GNA - Mr George Hikah-Benson, Upper West Regional Minister at the weekend tasked the Ghana Education Service (GES) to intensify their supervisory activities in Schools, so as to eliminate all impediments that contribute to falling standards. He said that could be done by delegating Senior Officers to pay surprise visits to schools, particularly in the rural areas, so as to put absentee teachers on their toes.

Mr Hikha-Benson said this in a speech read on his behalf doing the Speech and Prize-Giving Day of Dan-Ibu International School, the first private school to be established, in the Wa Municipality. Established in October 1989, Mr M. A. Seidu, Proprietor of the School and former Member of Parliament for Wa Central, decided to put up the school to enhance quality primary education for people in the Region. The Regional Minister said although absenteeism of teachers was not the only factor responsible for falling educational standards, there was the need to check that as a basic problem before others could be effectively tackled. He said a committee had been formed and tasked to find out the remote cause of falling standards and called on educationists to volunteer any information that would be useful in unearthing the real causes of falling standards.

Mr Hikah-Benson appealed to parents to play their roles effectively by ensuring that their children slept well, took good food, and dressed properly before going to school, since the building of a child depended on both parents and teachers. "Good education of children begins from home before teaching can polish them up," he added.

Mr Mumuni Adams, Superintendent of the School, said since 2003 that the school started featuring in the Basic Education Certificate Examinations; they had scored 100 per cent with lowest aggregate so far pegged at 25. He said the School authorities were doing everything possible to ensure that people of the Region and Senior Officers posted to the Region, got quality education for their wards. "We are proud to announce that seven of the children of our School have so far received the state award for students who excelled in the BECE over the years". Mr Abdul Aziz Mohammed Gado, Wa Municipal Chief Executive promised to provide the School with sanitation containers, and urged the school authorities to keep to standard, so as to attract more people. Awards of books and money were presented to deserving students and teachers who worked hard in their respective areas.