Wa, Oct. 6, GNA - Nine out of the 44 Junior High schools in the Wa Municipality performed below an average of 50% in the 2010 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The nine schools are at Busah, Boli, Sing, Biihee, Kpongu, Jonga, Kperisi, Sagu and St. Cecelia Junior High School, the only poor performer. Mr Sylvester Bayuo Adams, Wa Municipal Examinations Officer, told the GNA in an interview that no school recorded zero percent. Mr Abdullah Bin-Salih, the Deputy Municipal Director of Education, said the Municipal Education Directorate was undertaking an outreach programme known as School Performance Appraisal Meetings (SPAM) in the nine Schools.

The aim of the programme was to bring School Management Committees, Parent Teacher Associations and staff of schools together to identify the problems that led to the poor academic performance in those schools. Mr Bin-Salih said over enrolment, lack of proper parental care, inadequate logistics and indiscipline on the part of the students were some of the problems identified as the root causes of the poor academic performance.

Mr. Bin-Salih said communities that were connected to electricity identified frequent record dance and video shows as a major contributing factor to the low academic performance. He said lack of accommodation for teachers in communities where they teach was affecting their performance as many of them stayed in Wa and trekked to the villages daily to teach. Mr. Bin-Salih said many of them usually become tired when they get to school and therefore could not teach effectively.