Bill to decentralise GES in the offing
Cabinet is considering a bill to fully decentralise the operations of the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of tertiary, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said.
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According to him, the new bill would give the district offices of the GES the authority to hire and fire teachers, as well as determine the condition of services of the teachers.
Speaking on Citi FM Wednesday morning, Mr Ablakwa noted that the GES system was too humongous, thus the need to decentralise its operations.
He was speaking in response to the problem of teacher absenteeism at the basic level, which according to him had reduced to nine per cent in 2015 from 27 per cent in 2012.
According to him, the problem of teacher absenteeism had arisen from poor supervision.
Mr Ablakwa therefore said the new bill which was yet to be presented to parliament would help address the problem.
“We have put in place some measures to improve supervision. Though we have the regional directors, the district directors and circuit supervisors we believe that it is still inadequate. The strategy is that we will decentralise the Ghana Education Service by making sure that teachers are hired at the district level and are supervised at the district level,” he said.
He explained that, “As it is now, they are all accountable to the headquarters, so you are at the headquarters you cannot really tell what is going on in the district.”
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“We have put together the draft law now, cabinet is considering it and very soon it will be going to parliament. We want to do an entire change. So right from hiring, to paying, to conditions of service, the district will be responsible,” Mr Ablakwa said.