Wa MCE bemoans decline in BECE performance
The Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Issahaku Nuhu-Putiaha, has bemoaned the decline in the performance of pupils in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the past few years.
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Recalling the statistics, Mr Nuhu-Putiaha said in 2011, the municipality recorded 75 per cent pass according to the national league table, and that declined to 65 per cent in 2012; 57 per cent in 2013 and 45 per cent last year. He added that even though the performance of pupils in the municipality was the best in the Upper West Region, he was not happy with the declining performance. The Wa Municipal Education Oversight Committee has therefore mapped out strategies to reverse the trend.
Sessional Address
Delivering his sessional address during the Third Ordinary Meeting of the assembly in Wa on Tuesday, Mr Nuhu-Putiaha mentioned capacity building for teachers, intensive monitoring and supervision, as well as the provision of educational infrastructure to improve teaching and learning in schools to promote quality education as some of the measures put in place to improve educational standards. He therefore called on stakeholders to support him to achieve that goal.
The MCE also said in pursuit of that objective, the assembly had used a substantial part of its resources to construct 19 educational facilities including 11 classrooms and a library at Bamahu and procured 106 pieces of classroom furniture for some schools.
District Assembly Common Fund
According to the MCE, out of the estimated budget of GH¢604,560.00 projected to be mobilised by the assembly as its internally generated fund last year, it collected GH¢583,466.88, constituting 96 per cent by the end of November last year. He stressed, "Our financial revenue returns as at the end of the period also stood at GH¢6,721,295.43, out of the GH¢8,957,452.00 budgeted for the year".
He mentioned that the assembly had also received GH¢1,169,000 as its share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), which was being used in the provision of social amenities to improve the lives of the people.
Assembly’s commitment
Mr Nuhu-Putiaha said the assembly was committed to improving the lives of the people through the provision of sustainable rural water and sanitation facilities, routine maintenance of road networks, quality education, good health, security, traffic management and safety. He added that they had also received their 2013 District Development Facility (DDF).
Additionally, Mr Nuhu-Putiaha mentioned that the assembly was rated 33rd in the metropolitan/municipal/district assemblies (MMDAs) ratings by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) out of 216 MMDAs, and third among the MMDAs in the three northern regions.
He expressed the hope that this would improve in subsequent years.
