Ada Foah, July 14, GNA - Mr Michel Nsowah, the acting Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has said Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies were not required by law to bear the cost of teacher trainees.

He said for want of teachers to teach in those areas, the assemblies voluntarily sponsor the courses of the teacher trainees so that they come back to teach in the area.

Mr Nsowah said this in a speech read for him at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Ada Teacher Training College (ADATCO). He spoke about the problem of teachers refusing posting to deprived communities and shortage of teachers under the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) and suggested that the trainees should be bonded to serve for a number of years.

Mr Nsowah said problems associated with posting of newly trained teachers to deprived communities were due to the pressure on the GES by politicians and well known persons in society.

He said even though a third of the nation's budget was allocated to the education sector, it was inadequate but any attempt to increase it would put a strain on other sectors of the economy.

The Deputy Minister of Education Science and Sports, Mrs Angelina Baiden-Amissah, acknowledged the significant role played by teachers in the development of the nation and said the human resources proved by the colleges are the backbone of the nation's development.

The Principal of the School, Mr Ike Sagoe, said the school lacked accommodation to house the teachers, a library and computers and appealed for assistance from the government.

As part of the ceremony a 44-seater bus donated by the government and a 260 million-cedi official residence for the principal were inaugurated.

ADATCO, which was established in 1965 with 24 students, now has a population of 621 made up of 195 females and 426 males. It is expected to start awarding three-year diploma by next year.