Education

The district is endowed with the following educational institutions;

• Pre-school -(Public 48, Private 12) -60

• Primary - (Public 48, Private 12) -60

• JHS - (Public 30, Private 9) -39

• SHS -(Public 4 ) - 4

Enrolment Levels at the Basic Level

The Enrolments at the Basic Level have been indicated in tables 19 and 20.

 

• Gross Enrolment Rates

The following are the Gross Enrolment Rates (GER) for the various levels;

KG – 157

Primary – 135

JHS -100

SHS – 37.7

• Net Enrolment Rates

The following are the Net Enrolment Rates (NER) for the various levels;

KG – 42.52%

Primary – 94.1

JHS – 44

SHS – 13.2

• Gender Parity Indices

The following are the Gender Parity Indices for the various levels;

KG – 1.09

Primary – 1.00

JHS – 1.04

SHS - 0.87

• Number of Teachers in the district

Out of the total number of 900 teachers in the district 650 are trained whilst 244 are untrained. This represents 72.2% and 27.8% respectively. The bulk of the untrained teachers are at the Primary level. This partly accounts for the abysmal performance at the BECE.

In instances where their appointments are terminated, some schools are allowed to lay fallow for months before there are replacements. This does not augur well for effective education in these rural communities.

To arrest this therefore, there is the need to undertake the following;

1. Provision of teachers’ accommodation units in the rural areas

2. Extension of the national grid to the rural communities

3. Provision of good classroom infrastructure

4. Sponsorship of teacher trainees

5. Provision of bicycles to teachers who would be posted to difficult and hard to reach areas

6. Provision of incentives to teachers who would accept postings to these deprived areas.

7. Making it mandatory for newly trained teachers to teach in the rural areas for at least two (2) years before their request for transfer to urban communities would be approved of.

Until these are done, the pupils in the rural areas would continue to suffer from deprivation and the cycle of poverty would remain spiral and generational.

• Teacher/Pupil Ratio

1: 32.9(2015/2016)

• Male/Female Teacher Ratio

The male/female teacher ratio of 1:8: 1 is skewed in favour of the male. In sponsoring   teacher trainees therefore more female applicants should be considered. This would help close the gap.

Out of a total number of 887 candidates that was presented for the 2016 BECE Examinations, 537 of them passed representing 60.5%. In terms of gender, 566 were boys whilst 321 were girls representing 63.8% and 36.2% respectively. Out of the 321 girls presented, 171 of them passed thereby representing 36% and out of the 566 boys presented 366 of them passed which also represents 64%.

The implication is that, there is a lot to be done in terms of improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools in the district. In the face of this, the following have been recommended to ensure improvement in the BECE performance and education in the district in general;

1. Provision of adequate educational infrastructure

2. Regular and effective supervision

3. Supply of trained teachers

4. Supply of Textbooks and other teaching and learning materials

5. Provision of logistics and

6. Motivation to hardworking teachers and supervisors

7. Provision of awards to pupils who perform exceptionally well.

• Enrolment Levels in Senior High Schools in the district

Out of the total of 2,964 students enrolled in the two (3) Senior High Secondary Schools in   the district during the 2015/2016 academic year, 1,696 were boys and 1,268 girls which represents 57.2% and 42.8% respectively.

The import of this is that, there is a lot to be done at the Basic Level on the girl child. There is also the need to intensify education on the need to send the girl child to school whilst not neglecting the boy child.