NPP has created its own problem — Yilo Krobo MP

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for the Yilo Krobo Constituency, Mr Magnus Kofi Amoatey, has said the challenges facing the implementation of the free senior high school (SHS) is as result of problems created by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

For that matter, he said any blame should be laid at the doorstep of the NPP.

Addressing the 2018 World Teachers Day celebration at Yilo Krobo Senior High School at Somanya in the Eastern region, he said the NDC was very much aware of the increasing numbers in SHS enrolments, and that was why the Mahama- led administration was preparing with the 200 community day schools to ease the congestion.
The theme for the celebration was “The Right to Education means the Right to a Qualified Teacher”.

Suspension

Mr Amoatey alleged that the NPP when it came to power suspended all the plans of the NDC towards the building of the 200 community day schools to solve the infrastructure deficit, adding that they succeeded in thwarting the effort of the NDC towards the smooth implementation of the SHS programme.

He said when education improved, all other sectors would also improve, and stressed the need for stakeholders not to leave the fate of the education sector in the hands of politicians.

“Let me emphasise that the party is not against this laudable programme to give our youth senior high school education but the implementation is our concern, hence the challenges parents and guardians are facing since last academic year”.

He was of the view that If the NPP government had continued with the development of school infrastructure started by the NDC government, it would not have brought about the double-track system which had become a source of worry to all Ghanaians.

The MP who is passionate about education not only in his constituency donated six table top fridges, twenty 32’’ television sets, 10 PCs and two laptops as prizes for deserving schools and teachers in the municipality.

Qualified teacher

A former deputy general secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr John Kwesi Nyoagbe, who was the guest speaker said it was true that the right to education meant the right to a qualified teacher in consonance with the upcoming National Teachers Standards being spearheaded by T-TEL, and stressed the need to take a second view of the fact that certification from College of Education alone makes a qualified teacher.

“The present day 21st century teacher should be guided by their professional values such as legal and ethical codes of conduct. The teacher should also employ a variety of teaching and learning strategies in order to meet the learning needs of the student’’, Mr Nyoagbe stressed.

Above all, Mr Nyoagbe said the teacher must demonstrate professional knowledge through understanding how children developed and learn through diverse contexts such as cultural, linguistic, socio-economic and educational backgrounds and apply them to their teaching.

The Yilo Krobo GNAT Secretary, Ms Lydia Fuah, said the government’s Free SHS policy was laudable but at the primary level, increasing opportunity, especially for marginalised communities by adequately staffing and resourcing and improving the several community schools like Klo-Aogo in Yilo Krobo and decongesting the town schools, would help improve on effective teaching and learning in such deprived schools.