Bongo (UE), April 26,GNA-Weak supervision of teachers in public schools has been identified as one of the major causes of fallen standards of education in northern Ghana.

"Most teachers knowing that they were not strictly supervised do not either attend school regularly to teach or render poor teaching to the school children that is affecting educational standards". Mr. Jonathan Adabre, Upper East Regional Manager, Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), a Non 96Governmental Organization, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency when his outfit presented educational materials and food items to 818 deprived school children in Bongo, Garu-Tempane, Bawku Central in the Upper East Region and West Mamprusi in the Northern Region.

The children had either lost their parents or were too poor to cater for them.

Each of the studen ts took home a school uniform, a pair of sandals, 10 exercise books, three text books, 10 pens, 10 pencils, a mathematical set and bag of maize.

Mr. Adabre, who is also the Coordinator of the Ambassador Girls' Scholarship Programme, stressed that the lack of effective supervisory role in Public Schools was a serious problem affecting the quality of education.

"Public schools have more teachers than Private Schools yet the standards of public schools are falling abysmally whilst that of private schools continues to improve. This is because in the Private Schools there is effective monitoring of teachers. GES should ensure that this is replicated in private schools".

He called on the Ghana Education Service to ensure that its supervisory function was strengthened by ensuring that Circuit Supervisors visit schools to supervise teachers.

He also called on the GES to ensure that beneficiaries of the National Youth Employment Programme who were made teachers acquire teaching skills before they are sent to teach adding, they could be supported to be enrolled into teachers' training colleges after the contract to augment the army of trained teachers in the system. Mr. Adabre called on stakeholders including Members of Parliament, Assembly Members, Opinion leaders, and parents to actively team up with school management teams to ensure that performance of schools progressed successfully.

He said for the past seven years, ISODEC has being implementing the "Ambassador Girls' Scholarship Programme" in the Bawku Municipality, Garu, and Bongo Districts in the Upper East Region and the West Mamprusi District in the Northern Region. The programme is funded by the United States International Development Agency (USAID) and managed by the World Education International.

Mr Clement Akugri Tia, Bongo District Chief Executive (DCE), commended ISODEC for complementing government efforts at enhancing education delivery in the country.

He said government viewed education as very crucial to development of the country hence the implementation of a number of interventions such as the distribution of educational materials, school uniforms, the expansion of the School Feeding and Capitation Grants Programme.

The DCE called on parents not to shirk their responsibilities and provide for their children and monitor their academic progress by visiting them at school to interact with their teachers. 26 April 11