PROJECT TO ADDRESS IMBALANCES IN EDUCATION DELIVERY LAUNCHED (PAGE 40, MARCH 15, 2010)

EDUCATIONAL development in Ghana has seen some improvement in the last decade, particularly in the provision of infrastructure and enrolment rates especially for girls at the basic level.
There are, however, many children in Ghana, especially girls, who do not attend school, leading to wide disparities between northern Ghana and the rest of the country.
Northern Ghana, comprising Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, is believed to be the poorest in the country, with majority of families being categorised as poor.
There is also evidence suggesting that poor children in rural areas throughout the country are getting lower quality education than their urban counterparts.
It is to address this problem that the Voluntary Services Organisation (VSO) Ghana, with support from Comic Relief, UK, has launched a project aimed at addressing the imbalances in education delivery to the poor in northern Ghana.
Dubbed: “Tackling Education Inclusively (TENI)”, it seeks to improve transition, completion and quality of basic education for disadvantaged children, particularly girls in northern Ghana.
Elaborating on the objectives of the project, Mr Eric Dourinaah, who is in charge of the VSO office in Bolgatanga, said the project was a 10-year programme with the first phase spanning 2009-2013.
He said TENI covered three deprived districts, namely Talensi-Nabdam in the Upper East Region, Jirapa in the Upper West Region and West Mamprusis in the Northern Region.
Mr Dourinaah said under the project, about 2,000 teachers, including national volunteer teachers and 237 head teachers and circuit supervisors in 80 per cent of basic schools in the beneficiary districts, would have the capacity and motivation to deliver quality education and support pupils, particularly girls and children with disabilities, to improve their performance.
He explained that apart from working closely with district directorates of education and district assemblies, the VSO, in collaboration with SMC/PTAs and community leaders in the 237 communities in the three districts would also collaborate with the National Volunteer Programme to facilitate the programme.
Speaking at an orientation workshop for National Service and Volunteers Personnel, the Talensi-Nabdam District Co-ordinator of the National Service Scheme, Mr Michael Zuri, welcomed the move, stressing that it would go a long way to augment the shortage of teachers in the classrooms.
He admonished the service persons to do their best to change the perception that offering national service was only a requirement that did not require hard work.
“National Service and volunteerism should be seen as a unique opportunity to contribute to national development. Service persons must develop and re-orient themselves to see the unique opportunities that exist through offering national service,” Mr Zuri said.
He expressed the scheme’s commitment to work with partners to ensure that adequate personnel were available to impart knowledge to pupils in deprived communities.
The Talensi-Nabdam District Director of Education, Mr Francis Ayaaba, reminded service persons in the district that national service was a process in building leadership.
He added that apart from imparting knowledge to children, the service persons were also expected to reach out and touch lives of the people around them.
“The extent to which you teach well or badly goes a long way to shape the children and influence them,” Mr Ayaaba said.
He reminded them of the code of conduct for teachers, stressing that as stakeholders in education, service persons were also required to abide by this to avoid trouble.
Mr Ayaaba also spoke against sexual harassment, alcoholism, drug abuse and lateness to work.
A VSO volunteer, Mr Anthony Lovat, said the future of the child from the poor and deprived areas of northern Ghana lay in the hands of a committed volunteer teacher.
“As volunteer teachers, you are more important to the future of the district and the country than all the politicians, NGO workers and administrators,” he said.



















EDUCATIONAL development in Ghana has seen some improvement in the last decade, particularly in the provision of infrastructure and enrolment rates especially for girls at the basic level.
There are, however, many children in Ghana, especially girls, who do not attend school, leading to wide disparities between northern Ghana and the rest of the country.
Northern Ghana, comprising Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, is believed to be the poorest in the country, with majority of families being categorised as poor.
There is also evidence suggesting that poor children in rural areas throughout the country are getting lower quality education than their urban counterparts.
It is to address this problem that the Voluntary Services Organisation (VSO) Ghana, with support from Comic Relief, UK, has launched a project aimed at addressing the imbalances in education delivery to the poor in northern Ghana.
Dubbed: “Tackling Education Inclusively (TENI)”, it seeks to improve transition, completion and quality of basic education for disadvantaged children, particularly girls in northern Ghana.
Elaborating on the objectives of the project, Mr Eric Dourinaah, who is in charge of the VSO office in Bolgatanga, said the project was a 10-year programme with the first phase spanning 2009-2013.
He said TENI covered three deprived districts, namely Talensi-Nabdam in the Upper East Region, Jirapa in the Upper West Region and West Mamprusis in the Northern Region.
Mr Dourinaah said under the project, about 2,000 teachers, including national volunteer teachers and 237 head teachers and circuit supervisors in 80 per cent of basic schools in the beneficiary districts, would have the capacity and motivation to deliver quality education and support pupils, particularly girls and children with disabilities, to improve their performance.
He explained that apart from working closely with district directorates of education and district assemblies, the VSO, in collaboration with SMC/PTAs and community leaders in the 237 communities in the three districts would also collaborate with the National Volunteer Programme to facilitate the programme.
Speaking at an orientation workshop for National Service and Volunteers Personnel, the Talensi-Nabdam District Co-ordinator of the National Service Scheme, Mr Michael Zuri, welcomed the move, stressing that it would go a long way to augment the shortage of teachers in the classrooms.
He admonished the service persons to do their best to change the perception that offering national service was only a requirement that did not require hard work.
“National Service and volunteerism should be seen as a unique opportunity to contribute to national development. Service persons must develop and re-orient themselves to see the unique opportunities that exist through offering national service,” Mr Zuri said.
He expressed the scheme’s commitment to work with partners to ensure that adequate personnel were available to impart knowledge to pupils in deprived communities.
The Talensi-Nabdam District Director of Education, Mr Francis Ayaaba, reminded service persons in the district that national service was a process in building leadership.
He added that apart from imparting knowledge to children, the service persons were also expected to reach out and touch lives of the people around them.
“The extent to which you teach well or badly goes a long way to shape the children and influence them,” Mr Ayaaba said.
He reminded them of the code of conduct for teachers, stressing that as stakeholders in education, service persons were also required to abide by this to avoid trouble.
Mr Ayaaba also spoke against sexual harassment, alcoholism, drug abuse and lateness to work.
A VSO volunteer, Mr Anthony Lovat, said the future of the child from the poor and deprived areas of northern Ghana lay in the hands of a committed volunteer teacher.
“As volunteer teachers, you are more important to the future of the district and the country than all the politicians, NGO workers and administrators,” he said.