Parents and teachers are contributing to the continuous decline in education in parts of the South Tongu districts, especially the Dabala circuit, of the Volta Region.  

District Director of Education, Angelica Attakey, revealed this at the commissioning of a six-unit classroom block and four apartments for teachers at Agbagorme Basic School to aid effective teaching and learning in the district.

According to her teachers seem to have caused the fall in enrolment numbers at basic schools in the Dabala area over the years.

She explains because most parents are illiterates teachers must take up the responsibility of ensuring that parents understand the importance of education and send their wards to school.

Angelica Attakey said parents and teachers must come together to make sure that pupils do well in school .

According to a teacher-parent collaborative effort would improve basic education grades.

Most schools in the Dabala area score 0% in the Basic Education Certification Examination (BECE).

“Parents and teachers can bring a change if they team up. I task parents to make sure that their children stop using phones and going to the markets to trade while they are supposed to be in school and teachers must also make sure that they come to school on time to teach and supervise the children in their class works, she said.

She said teachers would be punished for absenting themselves from class to serve as deterrent.

The District Chief Executive, Samuel Mawuko Eworyi, also tasked traditional leaders to make sure that they monitor the various schools in their traditional areas.

“The traditional rulers should make sure that no child is seen at wake-keeping or programmes that run late into the night. All chiefs must come together to make sure that the Dabala circuit has hundred percent in the coming years,” Eworyi said.

The Chief of the Agbagorme traditional area, Torgbui Akpaklo Dornor IV said he is committed to ensuring quality of life is improved for every child.

“As a community, we have in our own way started another six-unit chamber and a hall which will accommodate teachers from the primary school upon completion.

“Barely a year ago, I led  an NGO [Pervita Foundation ] from Tema to paint the entire primary school building and also donated some teaching and learning material to them,” the chief said.

He thanked government and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for coming to their aid five years after the school was established.