By Francis Cofie
Accra, July 4, GNA – The Ablekuma North Municipal Education Directorate has held its School Performance Appraisal Meeting (SPAM) with a call on teachers not to compromise on the value of improving their teaching skills through regular training.
Teachers have also been urged to identify themselves as the fulcrum around which the success stories of education of the municipality revolves thereby necessitating the pursuit of continuous professional development.
Mr Ebenezer Perry Ofori, the Ablekuma North Municipal Education Director, made the call at the SPAM event organised by the Directorate and held at Odorkor in Accra.
The SPAM was held together with “Accounting to the Director” where headteachers were made to set targets for themselves upon which they would be held accountable. This is to ensure effective teaching and learning outcomes in the schools.
The meeting was aimed at evaluating the performance of schools in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and accounting to the municipal director for the previous academic year.
The schools were categorized into four clusters including Saleria Cluster, Odorkor Maclean Cluster, Kwashieman Cluster and Prince of Peace Cluster.
It brought together stakeholders in the education sector including parents, PTA executives, School Management Committee executives, Assembly members, representatives from the traditional authorities and opinion leaders.
Others were teachers, education officers, the Municipal Chief Executive, Municipal Coordinating Director, representatives from the assembly as well as the community.
The event provided an opportunity for participants to share their experiences, challenges and successes.
It also provided a platform for schools to learn from each other and share best practices.
As part of the outcome of deliberations, it came out that some schools had performed exceptionally well while others struggled to meet their set target.
Many school heads disclosed that their teachers lacked the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver quality education particularly in the areas of mathematics, science and Ghanaian language.
The deliberations also brought to the fore challenges faced by the schools, a major one being inadequate teaching and learning materials in some schools.
Furthermore, it emerged that some schools lacked textbooks on the new curriculum and other essential resources that are crucial for effective teaching and learning.
It also emerged that major hindrances to the performance of some of the schools included inadequate furniture and high cost of disposal of waste.
Other challenges mentioned by the school heads included poor security, absenteeism, lateness to school by candidates, frequent intrusion by thugs who foment violence, indiscipline among others.
Mr Ofori, in a closing remark, noted that the meeting was successful as it provided opportunity for participants to evaluate their performance and identify areas for improvement.
He expressed the hope that the recommendations made during the meeting would be implemented to improve the quality of education in the municipality.
GNA