The Upper East Regional Minister, Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru, has attributed the falling standards of education in the region to the high incidence of alcoholism among teachers.

“Alcoholism is eating up most of our teachers, especially in this part of the country. If you talk to the directors of education in the region, they will tell you that the level of alcoholism among teachers is very high. About 70 per cent of the teachers in this region are alcoholics. They do not even go to work. Even if they are in the classroom, they are drunk. How can you get somebody in this state to perform in the classroom and deliver the goods?” the regional minister asked.

The minister said this during a courtesy call on him by the Christian Council of Ghana last Tuesday.

He appealed to members of the Council to collaborate with the Regional Co-ordinating Council and the education sector in the region to help change the trend and instill sanity into the system through their sermons.

Alhaji Mohammed-Muniru said this was necessary because it would contribute to fighting the three worse enemies facing the people, namely poverty, illiteracy and disease and help fast-track the development agenda.

He commended the Christian Council in the region for their numerous efforts at bringing development to the region in the area of education, healthcare and water and sanitation, and urged them to continue to partner the government in eradicating poverty in the region.

The regional minister lauded the churches for their role in calling on their members to fast and intensify their prayers to ensure the sustenance of peace and tranquillity in the country, especially after the Supreme Court judgement on the election petition.

He encouraged the religious bodies not to sit back but constructively offer advice to the political leadership as and when necessary to guide his administration and help deliver good governance and accelerate development for the benefit of the people.

The Regional Chairman of the Council, Rev. Esmund Wasau Nagba, who is also the Chairman of the Upper Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, led a delegation to pay a courtesy call on the minister, the first since he assumed office.

The visit was also to introduce the council to the Regional Co-ordinating Council.