Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini, Deputy Northern Regional Minister has expressed concern about the continuous poor performance of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates in the Region, which needs to be addressed immediately.
He said the perennial poor performance of the candidates has gotten to a crisis stage, which calls a multi faceted approach with the involvement of stakeholders to address the sad phenomenon once and for all to give a future of hope to children.
Alhaji Fuseini was speaking in Tamale on Thursday during the first ordinary meeting of the Sagnarigu District Assembly meant to deliberate on issues of development and to seek measures that would push the development of the area forward.
Alhaji Fuseini said education is the only asset that the leadership of the country especially those from the north could not afford to allow it to continue to sink saying: “To build a formidable future for our younger generation means we need to work hard to improve our educational sector.”
He said in the latest Ghana Education Service schools ranking, the Region did not have a position, which called for the need for the local education directorate to step-up the supervisory role and severely punish recalcitrant teachers.
“The Northern Regional Coordinating Council is not happy with the perennial abysmal performance of our school children,” he said.
“The world is deriving on ICT and I tell you while some school children are playing with Ipads and laptop computers elsewhere in the country, some children in the …Region are yet to set eyes on even desktop computers, which is not healthy for the development of the country.”
On revenue mobilisation for the Sagnarigu Assembly the deputy minister said it is necessary to intensify revenue collection for the development of the area since the over reliance on the District Assemblies’ Common Fund would delay development projects.
Mr Alhassan Mohammed Sorugudo, District Chief Executive warned chiefs and other people who encroach on state lands to stay away or have their properties demolished without compensation.
He said some chiefs and other community members have the habit of encroaching on state lands meant for development, which derails the development agenda of the government and appealed to the Assembly Members to assist in the education for people to desist from land encroachment.
Mr Sorugudoo made reference to encroachment on the land meant for the construction of some two ring roads in the area.
He mentioned the areas as Kalpohin School through to Nyanshegu old cemetery to the Agric Traffic light area where construction is to start soon to relief the people of perennial flooding but being hampered by encroachers.