By Daniel Agbesi Latsu
Nsuta-Buem (O/R), Sept 6, GNA – ActionAid Ghana in partnership with the Network of Communities in Development (NOCID), a Kadjebi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), has engaged stakeholders in the Oti Region on teacher retention challenges.
The programme, which was held on the theme: “Addressing the challenges of teacher retention in Oti Region, the role of stakeholders,” was attended by the representative of MMDCEs and the Municipal/District Directors of Education in the Region.
Welcoming the participants to the programme at the Jasikan Diocesan Information and Counseling Centre, Nsuta-Buem in the Jasikan Municipality of the Oti Region, Madam Agnes Afua Obour, Co-ordinator, NOCID, said they were meeting the partners in development to deliberate on solutions to the challenges of teacher retention in Oti Region because of the passion and interest they have in education.
Madam Obour said the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Education has developed a good policy to promote education in the country and have aligned it to their developmental needs as a nation.
The NOCID Co-ordinator said ActionAid and NOCID saw the need to meet the key stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the challenges of teacher retention in the Oti Region to enable government to achieve its objective in education in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4.
“We need to retain teachers posted into the various districts and communities to help develop the cognitive, affection and psychomotor abilities of our children to enable them to better fit into society,” she said.
“We as NGOs are simply advocating for change, but not to change or add to education policies of the government”, she added.
Mrs. Irene Jacquelinda Attabra, the Caretaker Regional Director of Education for Oti, said the Oti Region like others in Ghana was predominantly rural, with many communities lacking access to basic amenities, infrastructure, and services and this reality had far-reaching implications for the education system.
“Teachers are often reluctant to accept postings to the rural areas, citing inadequate infrastructure, poor living conditions, and limited access to amenities”, she said.
“As a result, our rural schools face significant challenges in attracting and retaining qualified teachers, leading to high turnover rates and disrupting the learning process of our children”, she added.
Mrs. Attabra, said “regrettably, some highly placed personalities, traditional authorities, and even the Clergy, sometimes contribute to the attrition of teachers.
Their influence and actions, often unintended, can lead to teacher transfers, postings and resignations.”
She, however, commended management of regional directorate and Municipal/ District Directors of Education for their firmness and tactical decisions, which had mitigated the severity of the teacher retention challenges, but for their efforts the situation would have been worse.
The Caretaker Regional Director said the pupil-teacher ratio in the Region was also a cause for concern as the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2018-2030 established that at the Kindergarten level, the pupil-teacher ratio should be 35:1, Primary level 35:1, 30:1 for JHS level and 25:1 at the SHS/SHTS.
“The real situation, however, is a bit of a deviation from these standards for some schools, especially those found in the countryside as some districts in the Region still face high ratios, exceeding 50:1 in some cases,” she said.
This, she said, overburden teachers, affecting teaching quality and student performance.
Mrs. Attabra said teacher retention was crucial for quality education as when teachers stay, they developed a deeper understanding of their student’s needs, build stronger relationships, and create more stable learning environment thus, leading to improve student performance, reduced dropout rates, and better academic outcomes.
She said to address teacher retention, there was the need to incentivise rural service by offering special allowances, housing and infrastructure support, school infrastructure to attract and retain teachers.
Contributing, Mr. James Awapoayi, the Jasikan Municipal Co-ordinating Director, said there was the need to motivate teachers in the form of th best teacher award scheme, teacher incentive to help retain teachers in the Region.
The discussants have identified the bad attitude of indigenes against teachers, no motivation, tribal politics, high cost of rent, no support from MMDCEs and MPs as some of the factors contributing to teacher retention in the Region.
They, therefore, suggested teacher motivation, teacher accommodation, orientation for newly-posted teachers, engagement with the Chiefs and opinion leaders on the need to accept non-indigene teachers wholeheartedly, teacher incentives, among others to help retain teachers in the Region.
GNA