Ministry of Education to withdraw non-performing headteachers from office back to the classroom.

This is an absolute cheap talk. How can the Ministry expect schools under tress and teachers who are for so many months not being paid their salaries to function?

Besides, what are they doing to the NON-PERFORMING GREEDY Ministers ?

Yendi (NR) Dec. 10, GNA- Mr Mahama Ayariga, Deputy Minister of Education has warned that head teachers whose schools are not performing well in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) would be withdrawn from office to the classroom.

He said there is therefore the need for heads of basic schools to instill discipline in tutors and students to help reverse the situation.

Mr Ayariga who gave the warning in Yendi in the Northern Region, called on Education Oversight Committees, Parents Teacher Associations, School Management Committees and other stakeholders in education to help address the challenges facing schools nationwide.

He said the educational authorities are proposing that teachers should organise extra classes for Junior High School students to improve on their performance in the BECE, scheduled for April next year.

The Deputy Minister made as usual some other empty promises that, plans are under way to recruit volunteer teachers to support under staff schools, chief examiners report would be made available to teachers to know how their students performed and also 55 million dollars from Global Partnership, would be used as school grants as part of measures to improve on schools.

The Minister who could only threaten headteachers has forgotten about the pressing need for the government to bridge the education gap between pupils in the urban areas and those in the rural areas to ensure equal access to quality education.

Ayariga must know, if he might have forgotten, that children learn in better environments such as good school buildings equipped with the necessary books and other learning materials than others studying under trees and other temporary shelters.

Moreover, Mr. Deputy Minister! bear in mind that while urban school children benefit from Information Communication Technology, those in the rural areas have no exercise books for class work. Such anomaly was the course of poor grades recorded in the Basic Education Certificate Examination but not the Headteachers you are threatening.

Let me remind the Minister here again that there is a need for children to be given equal opportunity to participate and also enjoy all advantages in education to facilitating their development. All children are equal and needs equal treatment in all spheres of life including education.

Build better classrooms, provide learning materials, execute the school feeding program very well and PAY "ALL TEACHERS" THEIR SALARIES PUNCTUALLY, before you go out there to issue threats.

FRANCIS TAWIAH (Duisburg - Germany)