ANNUAL REPORT 2015

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2015

JANUARY, 1^ST TO DECEMBER, 31^ST

INTRODUCTION: - This report specifies major activities of the South Dayi Education

Directorate for the period. 1^st January to 31^st December, 2015.

Vision Statement:-

To be the leading District in promoting Excellent Education standards that can be sustained to foster the acquisition of relevant skills and talents of learners for the manpower and socio-economic development.

Mission Statement:-

To provide High Quality Education to children of School going age through facilitation of quality Teaching and Learning, access and participation, efficiency and effectiveness of management performance and strengthening capacity at all levels of education in the District.

Staffing:

At the end of the quarter, the staff strength stood at 63 consistent with the staff strength on the organogram. MS SITSOFE AMEGBOE is the District Director of Education with the following management team:

MS. Ella Boateng - D.D Finance and Administration

MR. Augustine Addah - D.D Human Resource Management & Development.

MS. Ruth Ntsutse - D.D Supervision and Monitoring

MR. Godwin Dagbah - District Accountant

MR. Baako Gaddafi - Budget Officer

MR. Jinadu Ilyas Abubakar - Internal Auditor

STAFF ESTABLISHMENT:

The staff population (comprising teaching and non-teaching), stands as follows:

ENROLMENT:

Annual School Census data of schools collected during the beginning of the academic year served as the reference point. Enrolment of our schools stands at:

PROJECTS:

During the period in focus, the Honorable Member of Parliament in collaboration with the District Education Directorate constructed 3 Unit Classroom block with ancillary facilities at Sanga D/A JHS as well as KG Block at Kpeve Model and has been commissioned.

Construction of KG block and teachers quarters GETFUND project at Peki New Adzokoe R/C Primary School is ongoing. A six (6) Unit classroom GETFUND project at Todome Primary school was abandoned. Several GETFUND Projects were completed at Tongor Community Senior High Technical School during the period.

Other completed projects include 3 Unit classrooms with other facilities at Dzemeni R/C JHS which was funded by DACF.

We pray fervently that the Assembly will help call the contractor involved in abandoned project, back to site or if possible re-award the contract to a more hard working contractor.

During the year under review, USAID and Global Communities constructed KVIP Latrines for three (3) of our schools namely: Tsyokpokofe E/P Primary, Peki Avetile D/A Primary and Tongor Abui No. 2 E/P Primary Schools.

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS:

The government of the day continues to provide educational materials to the schools. Though we had less than what we expected, the following items were so far received and distributed to the schools: 2,323 Primary two (2) language exercise book, 3,046 Technical Drawing books for Junior High Schools, 4,894 boxes of white chalk, 900 Dual Desks, 8 tables and 24 chairs (Common Room Furniture) and 260 My First Day at School Bag. Few text books were also supplied during the period. There was no distribution of school uniforms during the period under review.

SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME:

This timely intervention programme is still on-going in the District. Eighteen (18) primary schools are enrolled on the programme leaving Eighteen (18) more to be enrolled. There were a few instances where meals served in some schools were not good enough. The Assembly was duly informed and corrective measures were put in place. The total enrolment stood at 4,274 pupils hooked on the programme as at December, 2015.

Apart from feeding the pupils, we took into cognizance their health needs, in view of that the Worm Control In School-Age Children Exercise was rolled out across the country to control worm infestation among school children of which South Dayi is no exception. In all a total of 10,247 pupils were treated with Albendazole and Praziquantel, representing 81% of total coverage.

CAPITATION GRANT:

This intervention programme is also on-going. Even though it does not come at the right time, “it is better late than never”.

First and second tranches were assessed in the year under review.

OFFICE EQUIPMENT:

The Education Directorate still have a lot of challenges with office equipment. There are still some units and department which do not have computers whilst maintenance of existing ones are often faced with financial constraints. Repair and maintenance of photocopiers, printers, and vehicles were serious issues the directorate encountered since DFID/GOG statutory payments were not forthcoming. The few computers functional are those donated by Bank of Ghana, Hohoe branch and Volta Educational Renaissance Foundation. We pray that the Assembly and other philanthropists will come to our aid.

WORKSHOP AND CONFERENCES:

The Directorate continues to sponsor staff for refresher courses, workshops and conferences, both externally and internally through partnership with organizations and philanthropists.

Workshops are also organized for various subject teachers and class teachers to share ideas/new concepts and to develop new and innovative ways of impacting knowledge. Staffs from both public and private schools are involved in these staff training and update.

NATIONAL INSET PROGRAMME:

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has developed a frame work for the implementation of In-Service Education and Training (INSET) policy for basic education. The aim is to establish an institutionalized structure for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of Basic School Teachers. This timely programme was not undertaken during the period under review however, In-Service training was organized for newly trained teachers to equip and familiarize them with the best practices in the classroom. In all fourteen (14) newly trained teachers received training during the period.

SUPERVISION AND MONITORING:

In order to improve upon teaching and learning at all levels; the Directorate has intensified its supervision, monitoring and evaluation processes. Two key measures were put in place:

v Comprehensive inspection of schools: The directorate seeks support from the Assembly to undertake all this important exercise but midway through, the exercise was truncated along the way since funding was not forthcoming. Comprehensive inspection is a measure put in place to visit schools in the district to inspect every nook and cranny in the schools ranging from pupils exercise books, attendance, lesson notes, monitor lesson delivery and many more for three (3) consecutive days in each school.

v Adoption of schools: Officers from the directorate have been assigned schools in the district to be monitored on weekly and monthly basis and give report of findings in the schools for redress.

Aside the normal supervision done by the circuit supervisors, other officers are called sporadically and sent to any school at random to undertake unannounced supervision and monitoring of teaching and learning and any other activities of interest. Recalcitrant teachers caught in these activities are invited and sanctioned appropriately.

One major problem militating against supervision and monitoring is mobility. None of our circuit supervisors is “mobile”. This affects their movement seriously.

Request was made to the District Assembly to provide the Directorate with six (6) motorbikes to be used for monitoring but up till now, no response had been received from the Assembly. This we feel can in a way contribute to falling standards.

We are therefore, using this platform to reiterate our appeal for motorbikes for our six (6) circuit supervisors to help greatly enhance Supervision and Monitoring.

GIRLS’ EDUCATION:

In the 2014/2015 academic year, teachers, parents, opinion leaders and other stakeholders in the South Dayi District were sensitized through various programmes including SPAM where parents tasked to send their wards, especially the girls to school so as to bring about change in the life of the girl-child. The girl child coordinator gave a talk at Wegbe Kpalime on gender base violence against girl child organized by WILDAF Ghana as a measure of creating awareness of various forms of violence against the girl child.

These sensitization programmes have immensely contributed to enrolment of more girls in our schools.

A recent monitoring by the Girl Child Education Unit of the Directorate has revealed that there was an increase in teenage pregnancy. Reasons assigned to the cause of this problem include:

· Inability/Failure by parents to provide the needs of their wards

· Truancy among the girls

· Ignorance.

Strategies being considered to address this problem include:

· Re-training of Facilitators

· Re-sensitization of members in the communities.

· Involvement of SMC/PTA fully in the sensitization programme.

· The District Assembly to enact a bylaw to guide against loitering of pupils in the night.

SUPPORT FROM THE DISTRICT ASSEMBLY:

The District Assembly continues to support Education in the District at all levels in diverse ways even though the support is erratic. A few of them had been mentioned earlier.

We wish to put the following on record as part of the financial support offered by the Assembly during the period under review:

· The District Assembly issued an amount of GH₵ 3,300.00 for two days training of One Hundred and Eight Junior High School Core Subject Teachers in May, 2015. This became necessary following the dwindling academic performance of pupils in the District. The intended positive outcome anticipated was however, not fully achieved.

· An amount of GH¢1,500.00 was also issued out on 30^th July, 2015 as a registration fee for fifteen (15) pupils and also GH¢ 450.00 as transportation fee in support of the District team to attend and participate in the Regional Science, Technology, Mathematics and Innovation Education (STMIE) camp and Science Fair held at Mawuli Senior High School at Ho. The Assembly also gave GH¢ 400.00 which was used to organize science and mathematics quiz competition in all the six circuits. The STMIE Coordinator visited schools to inspect science projects developed by the various schools.

May I indicate here that STMIE clinic/camp is a platform where our children show off the creativity in them in the area of Science, Technology, Mathematics and Innovations.

BEST TEACHER/WORKER/SCHOOLS AWARD:

This award scheme was institutionalized in 1995 to motivate Teachers and other Educational workers to improve on the quality of teaching and learning in schools and in addition, create healthy competition among educational workers, especially teachers.

Unfortunately, the last time this all important event happened in South Dayi District was 2007, due to lack of sponsorship.

The neglect of this programme bothers a lot of minds and brings to mind, a few questions. Such as:

· Is it because the work of teaching and non-teaching staff in the District is not appreciated?

· What is the difference between the South Dayi District and those Districts that honour their Heroes/Heroines in similar programmes?

These questions and many more seriously bother the mind.

It is more or less a disincentive to educational workers in the District, following the adage “a nation that does not honour its Heroes, is not worth dying for”.

We are again appealing to the powers that be, to do everything possible to bring the Best Teacher/Worker Award Scheme to life in the South Dayi District.

The Directorate continues to underscore the need to reinstitute this Award and consistently repeated it in our annual report for your attention and also stresses the pivotal role of the teacher in human resource development.

PERFORMANCE IN BECE:

The District has dropped significantly in the 2014/2015 BECE hitting a record low of 47.5%. An assessment was conducted to ascertain the cause of the low performance and the following reasons adduced:

v Core subject teachers trained to impact the knowledge and skills gained for better performance has had little effect on the pupils.

v A backload of non performing pupils repeated and prevented from registering were given the chance to go through the system.

v Attitudes of parents in monitoring studies of their wards.

v Poor study habits of pupils.

As a way forward, the Directorate has instituted various education driven strategies to ameliorate the situation. These measures include:

The Directorate is highly determined to scale-up educational progress to enviable heights through Monitoring and Supervision, an un-announced school visits have been adequately structured to enliven teachers and head teachers and to serve as wake-up call for them to be on their toes.

CHALLENGES:

The directorate faced numerous challenges ranging from inability to finance our activities to purchase of basic materials and equipment for effective running of the office.

THE WAY FORWARD

Education undoubtedly is the bedrock and hope for the future and progress of the district, in lieu of that, priority and attention must be given to educational activities and the necessary support directed towards educational goals. Support is therefore needed in the following areas:

Ø Educational Forum: Support is needed to undertake educational forum slated on 25^th February, 2016 in which major stakeholders in education are invited to help address key problems in education delivery in the District.

Ø Camping and final preparation of 2015/2016 BECE Candidates. Request is hereby made to support 814 BECE candidates who will be camped at various designated centres in the district for an intense tuition for 21 days.

Ø Support is needed for sporting activities in the district.

Ø Comprehensive inspection of schools across the district.

Ø Fuel and maintenance cost of vehicles.

Ø Support for repair of office equipment and administrative items.

Ø Support for culture activities.

Detailed action plan and budget will be forwarded to you on the subjects above for your prompt intervention and support.

CONCLUSION:

I believe strongly that management will continue to work diligently to realize the vision, to be the leading District in promoting excellent education standards that can be sustained to foster the acquisition of relevant skills and talents of learners for manpower and socio-economic development.

Contributions of other stakeholders are seemingly diminishing as time passes by. Management must therefore, continue to seek the indulgence of all those who matter to impress upon themselves and other stakeholders to do better than they are doing now.

PREPARED AND SUBMITTED BY: ……………………………

KUVOR MICHAEL (PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER)