Mrs. Christiana Azure Ayinzoya, the District Director of Education in Talensi, Upper East Region of Ghana, has expressed deep concerns over the inadequate supply of furniture in schools. Speaking exclusively to the media after a tour with the Member of Parliament for Talensi, Mr. Daniel Dung Mahama, she revealed that the district has been without sufficient furniture for over ten years.
“While we have received a few pieces of furniture recently, it is not enough to meet the needs of all schools,” she stated. “This ongoing shortage has created significant gaps in our educational infrastructure.”
Mrs. Ayinzoya also highlighted the impact of recent governmental changes on parental involvement in education. For the past eight years, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has removed teachers from the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), leaving only the Parents Association (PA). “This shift has hindered collaboration between teachers and parents, making it challenging to support our children’s education effectively.”
The BECE (Basic Education Certificate Examination) performance in the Talensi district has struggled to exceed 50% for the past five years due to these challenges. “In the 2022-2023 academic year, our performance was 26%, which improved to 44.1% in 2023-2024. However, this is still not adequate,” she lamented. “I have urged the MP to assist in preparing these children for the BECE.”
Mining activities in the Upper East Region, particularly in Talensi, have further exacerbated the educational crisis. Many school-aged children are abandoning their studies to engage in illegal mining, resulting in high rates of teenage pregnancy and increased dropout rates.
Mrs. Ayinzoya has been actively encouraging children to return to school, but many remain reluctant. “They see that teachers, who rely on modest government salaries, cannot compete with the financial incentives of mining,” she noted.
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya