The situation needed to be addressed, he said, when he visited the Saint Barnabas Anglican and Teacher Mota Primary schools at Osu in Accra as part of a familiarization tour since assuming office.
Mr Ayariga noted that some of the issues affecting the schools could be handled by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and promised that the Ministry of Education would
collaborate with them to solve the problem. At St Barnabas Anglican School, Mrs Christina Apafu, the Head Teacher said not all the pupils in public schools wear the prescribed uniforms by government and that, authorities of mission schools were prepared to abide by the regulations on uniforms.
Mrs Apafu expressed concern about pupils’ attraction to the many social centres in the area which was making most of them truants. Mr Laud Sower, a teacher, said for the past five years they had not received books on religious and moral education at the school.
At Teacher Mota Primary School, Mr Ayariga expressed concern
about absenteeism, which he noted affects performance. Mr David Ayettey, Chairman of the school’s Parent Teacher Association announced the construction of a new kindergarten next year to enroll more children.
Mrs Evelyn Akofa Yentumi, the Head Teacher, said the school lacked potable water, furniture, books, only four computers, textbooks on religious and moral education and science equipment and the pupils had to be paired during reading. She expressed concern about open defecation at the school premises during weekends thus polluting the environment.
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