Sekondi, Aug. 26, GNA - An appeal has been made to trainee teachers to accept postings to deprived districts so that children in these areas would not be disadvantaged or suffer because of where they find themselves through no fault of theirs. Mrs Angelina Baiden-Amissah, Deputy Minister for Basic and Teacher Education said more than 20,000 children of school-going age in rural areas were not in school because teachers refused postings to these areas.

The Deputy Minister was addressing the opening of the fifth national congress of the Association of Catholic Teacher Trainees (ACTT) at Sekondi on Friday.

"These children also have the right to education and badly need your services", she said and appealed to teachers to reciprocate the kind gesture of society that had invested so much in them. Mrs Baiden-Amissah noted that most dropouts that flock the streets of cities and urban areas were products and victims of the social injustices in education.

She said the issue of postings of teachers to deprived area had become a source of worry not only to the Ministry but also parents and other stakeholders.

"You enjoy all the rights under our constitutional dispensation for free basic education, but when it comes to the question of being posted to where your services are most needed you refuse to take up such appointments".

Mrs Baiden-Amissah, who the Member of Parliament for Shama said within the next ten years, 24,000 untrained teachers would benefit from a teacher-upgrading scheme that was being implemented. Teacher training colleges in the country are being supplied with basic items and equipment including computers to help them to become computer literates.

She commended religious bodies particularly the Catholic Church for their contributions towards achieving quality education and said it was in recognition of this that the Government was giving serious consideration to the idea of returning some schools to the missions. Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief Executive, in an address read for him said quality education held the key to the realisation of the country's objective to attain a middle-income status, reduce poverty and achieve technological evolution.

He stated that the debate on whether schools should be returned to their respective religious bodies or not was an admission that these bodies had a vital role to play "not just to promote education but also to provide the right type of education based on Christian principles". Mr Nkrumah announced that plans were far advanced for the establishment of an Information Communication Technology (ICT) University in the Metropolis.

Mr Kobina Mara Arthur, National Chairman of the Association in his report said a sensitisation programme for members to accept postings to deprived communities had been organised. Members were also taught to lead exemplary lives and become role models to the youth in areas that they might find themselves. 26 Aug. 05