Akim Oda (Eastern Region), 1 March, ’99 —
A baseline survey on literacy and numeracy conducted in primary schools in the Birim South District last year showed a poor performance from the pupils. Out of the 143 schools, which were sampled in Mathematics, only 43 schools were able to hit the pass mark of between 50-59, while in the English language, 76 out of the 143 schools had the pass mark of 50-59. Ms Felicia Duku, the district director of education made this known at a schools appraisal performance meeting held with schools management committees (SMC), parent-teacher association (PTAs) and teachers at Akim Oda on Saturday. The meeting was aimed at finding the root cause of the poor performance of the pupils and to find solutions to them. The participants identified some of the causes of the low standard of education as lateness to school by both teachers and pupils, and the refusal of parents to provide their wards with stationery. Ms Duku expressed concern about the poor results and called for a concerted effort from parents and teachers to help redress the situation. Mr John Effah-Boadi, the District Chief Executive, who chaired the meeting, advised teachers to put in their best and suggested to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to have teachers whose pupils perform poorly sanctioned.
