The Member of Parliament (MP) for Okere,Mr Daniel Kwaku Botwe is to pay four Ghana Cedis a term for every third year pupil in Junior High School in his constituency for teachers to organize extra
classes for them.
This is to relieve parents of that financial burden and to ensure that none of the schools in
the constituency scores zero per cent at next year's Basic Education Certificate Examination
(BECE).
Additionally, the MP would pay for the organization of residential vacation classes, in the December-January period, for the third year pupils of 12 of the schools which are likely to
score zero per cent without some intervention.
Mr Botwe announced this at a meeting with teachers from the 28 JHS in his constituency and members of the Akuapem North District Directorate of Education at Adukrom Akuapem to brainstorm on how to prevent schools in the constituency from scoring zero per cent and to raise the standard of education in the area.
Four schools in the constituency scored zero per cent at the 2008 BECE but three of them were able to get some passes during the 2009 examination. However, three other new schools scored zero per cent, bringing the number of "zero -schools" back to four.
Mr Botwe assured that he was prepared to finance the provision of lunch for the students
when necessary to ensure that the pupils stayed on after schools hours to participate in the extra classes.
He said as a long term measure, he had planned to motivate eminent citizens from the
Constituency to adopt schools and visit them frequently to encourage the students to learn
hard.
The MP said he would establish an Education fund with the support of people from the
Constituency and their friends to sponsor brilliant but needy children to continue their
education after the BECE.
The Akuapem North District Director of Education, Mr Alfred Kofi Osei, said the results
of the district at the BECE had been improving gradually from 2005 but it dropped from a 60
percent score last year to 54 per cent this year.
He said analysis of the results indicated that many of the schools whose performances
were poor were in the Okere area.
During the forum, the teachers complained about lack of interest in Education by the
pupils and their parents, adding that, in some cases pupils who completed JHS with good
grades did not get sponsors to help them to the senior secondary school level.
Some teachers had often paid for the registration of the brilliant BECE candidates whose parents claimed they did not have money, they added.