Walewale (N/R), Feb 27, GNA-The Tackling Education Needs Inclusively (TENI) Project is embarking on new strategies aimed at addressing the abysmal performance of basic schools in the Northern Regions.

As part of the measures to help address the problem, TENI

Project has trained 31 retired Teachers, 11 Circuit Supervisors,

24 National Volunteers, 12 NGOs partners and 16 District

Education Staff including four frontline Assistant District

Directors, on School Performance Review (SPR) and data

collection. All the participants drawn from the West Mamprusi District

are supposed to collect data on SPR in 154 Basic Schools in

the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region. Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), Link

Community Development, Pronet Association, the Ghana

Education Service (GES), National Service Secretariat and

West Mamprusi, Talensi Nabdam and Jirapa Districts are the

Implementers of the TENI project which is a 10 year project. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency after the workshop,

the Upper East Regional Manager of ISODEC, Mr Jonathan

Adabre, said the main objective of the data was to collate

accurate and reliable and timely data that would help the Ghana

Education Service to address the falling standards of education

in basic schools in the West Mamprusi District and the

Northern Regions in general. Mr Adabre said he was unhappy about the trend of the

poor performance of many basic schools in the Northern,

Upper East and Upper West Regions and could continue to

draw the development of the area backwards if the situation

was not reversed. He said that after the data collection, it would be analysed

and shared at the District, Regional level and the National level

to ensure that the duty bearers respond appropriately to the

needs of the communities for improved education delivery in

District, Regional and Northern Ghana in general.

Mr Adabre said the overall goal of the TENI project is to

improve transition, retention and performance of basic schools

in the three Northern Regions and indicated that the 10 year

project was in its second year. He said the TENI project had also initiated a dialogue with

District Assemblies, GES and NGOs in the West Mamprusi to

ensure that there was coherence and efficiency in the utilization

of resources so as to avoid duplication of efforts. Mr Bashiru Nurideen, TENI Coordinator for Link

Community Development who facilitated the training workshop

urged the participants to see themselves as owners of the data

since they were all from the GES and indicated that the

outcome of the data would help highlight the training needs of

teachers, number of teachers required for effective education

delivery and the level of participation of communities in

education delivery among others. The Deputy Director in charge of the West Mamprusi

District, Mr John Asagibe said formally in gathering data on

SPR the GES often engaged Circuit Supervisors but now with

the involvement of the retired teachers, Circuit Supervisors and

National Volunteers it would make the data more meaningful to

be able to address the poor performance of basic schools in

the area.