By Iddi Yire
Accra, June 06, GNA – The Government Assurance Committee of Parliament has conducted a day’s tour of some selected basic schools in the Greater Accra Region (GAR) to ascertain the level of fulfilment of the Government’s educational policy of one child, one-textbook.
The Delegation, which was led by Mrs Patricia Appiagyei, Chairperson and the Ranking Member of the Committee, Mr John Kwabena Bless Oti visited four-five schools in the GAR.
They include Manhyean Anglican Cluster of Schools in Tema Newtown, Garrison Primary School in the Kpone Katamanso Municipality; Omankope D/A Primary School in the Ningo-Prampram District, Toflokpo DA Junior High School (JHS) and Toflokpo Presby Primary in the Ada West District.
The Committee’s tour of the GAR follows a similar two-day tour of the Central Region.
During the tour, it was realised that most of the basic schools are yet to receive the full complements of the textbooks.
Madam Augustina Enninful, Headteacher of Garrison Primary School, Michel Camp, told the Committee that the school had received textbooks for Science, Mathematics, English Language and Creative Arts.
On the distribution per class, she said Class One with a population of 48 received 52 Science textbooks, 50 Creative Art textbooks and 45 Mathematics textbooks.
While Class Two with a population of 52 received 55 Science textbooks, 50 Creative Art textbooks and 50 Mathematics textbooks.
The Headteacher said Class Three with an enrollment of 66 received 68 Science textbooks, 70 Creative Art textbooks and 55 Mathematics textbooks.
For Class Four, the enrollment was 60 and the allocation of textbooks was Science 70, Mathematics 65, and Creative Art 55.
Madam Enninful said Class Five had an enrollment of 66, and the allocation of textbooks was Science 70, English Language 60, and Mathematics 65.
The Enrollment for Class Six was 67, whereas the textbooks allocation was Science 74, English Language 60, and Mathematics 65.
Mr Harry Evans Arthur, Kpone-Katamansu Municipal Director of Education, said his Directorate gives out the textbooks to schools as and when they arrive from Education Ministry.
Mrs Sarah Adibrosu, Ningo-Prampram District Director of Education, urged the Government to absorb the Omankope Community Primary School into the public basic school system under the Ghana Education Service (GES).
She also appealed for the construction of a befitting classroom block for the school.
Mr Al-Latiff Tetteh Amanor, the Ningo-Prampram District Chief Executive, said the District Assembly was rallying resources from its share of the District Assemblies Common Fund for the construction of the school block.
Mrs Bernice Ofori, Tema Metro Director of Education, appealed to the Education Ministry to ensure that the textbooks were delivered directly to the Depots of the various District/Municipal/Metropolitan Education Directorates to help save them from incurring the cost of transporting the textbooks from their respective regional capitals.
Mrs Evelyn Ansah, Logistics officer, Tema Metro Education Directorate, said not all the full complements of the textbooks had been received by her outfit.
Mrs Patricia Appiagyei, Chairperson of the Government Assurance Committee of Parliament said the purpose of the visit was to verify and be sure as a committee of the promises made by the Minister of Education in relation to the delivery of textbooks to basic books in schools in the Greater Accra Region had been fulfilled.
She commended Madam Augustina Enninful, Headteacher of Garrison Primary School for providing the Committee with comprehensive statistics on her school’s enrollment and textbooks supplied by the Education Ministry.
She said of all the basic schools the Committee visited both in the Central and the Greater Accra Regions, as part of their monitoring of the distribution of government textbooks, the presentation of the Headteacher of Garrison Primary School was outstanding.
GNA