Lack of textbooks affecting academic work – NABOCADO
Lack of textbooks to complement the new curriculum at basic schools is adversely affecting academic work, a survey has revealed.
Teachers complained that the training given them when the new curriculum was introduced two years ago was not enough to understand and interpret the Teacher’s Resource Pack and Leaner’s Resources Pack given to them to teach the children.
It said the materials rather confused most of the teachers and did not help them to impart knowledge to the children as required by the new system.
The study was conducted by the Good Governance, Justice and Peace Directorate of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO) and made known to the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of an evaluation exercise held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
The Organisation therefore appealed to the government to supply the appropriate textbooks to all schools to enhance teaching and learning.
The survey, which had financial support from the Hungary Helps Programme was meant to find out the challenges that affected service delivery in the educational and health sectors in the Diocese (Upper East and North East Regions).
It was piloted in 13 Catholic basic schools and 11 Catholic health facilities in the Diocese.
Mr Emmanuel Gazari, the Planning Officer, Catholic Education Unit, NABOCADO, explained that apart from the lack of textbooks, more than 80 per cent of children at the basic level were learning on the bare floor due to furniture deficit.
“The best among all the school we found was four children sitting on one dual desk and the rest had to lie on their stomachs to write and this affects their handwriting, attention, and have other health complication,” he said.
Mr Gazari also noted that the delay in the release of Capitation Grants was having a toll on the administration of the schools and appealed to the government to address the situation.
“When we went round, the teachers told us that they did not receive Capitation Grants since the 2018/2019 academic year until the last quarter of 2021 and since the government has banned the payment of levies by parents, it should find a way to ensure regular flow of the Capitation Grants,” he added.
On health, Mr Peter Akudugu Ayamba, the Coordinator of Primary Health, NABOCADO, said the survey revealed that many health facilities were constrained by infrastructure deficit which was hampering quality health delivery.
He said disbursement of the National Health Insurance Scheme claims was also irregular and called on the government to step up efforts to ensure that claims were paid to promote quality healthcare.
Dr Joseph Ayembilla, the Human Development Coordinator, NABOCADO, said the project dubbed “education and heath infrastructure-Northeast Ghana” was aimed at advocating and collaborating with major stakeholders to improve on equitable and quality education and health which were key to human life.
He said the Catholic Church existed through its works to complement government’s efforts and urged the government to provide the needed infrastructure to boost development.
The evaluation exercise brought together representatives from the Catholic Health Services, Catholic Education Directorate, catholic schools, management committees of catholic schools and community health facilities across the Diocese.
Source: GNA