Improve on 2020 WASSCE performance - Prof. Opoku-Amankwa charges school heads
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, has urged heads of senior high schools (SHSs) in the five northern regions to improve upon the performance chalked by candidates of the maiden 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) by at least 10 per cent in all subjects.
The stunning results of the 2020 maiden free SHS candidates had generated positive discourse in the academic and social sphere as Ghanaians assess the impact of the policy of free secondary education.
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Prof. Opoku-Amankwa, in a meeting with stakeholders in Tamale, encouraged heads to continue with their excellent work amidst all the challenges on the ground.
Courage
“I admire your courage and tenacity to bring up our future leaders in the best of standards required of the 21st Century student,” he stated.
He assured teachers that plans were far advanced for the government to settle teacher intervention allowances and encouraged heads and staff not to be demotivated by the delay in the release of the allowances as they would be paid duly.
“The allowances are genuine promises by the government as part of efforts in motivating staff in ensuring sustained academic pursuits in the government flagship educational policy of free SHS”, the GES boss assured.
Opportunity
Prof Opoku-Amankwa also took the opportunity to respond to some of the pressing issues of staff of the GES, including upgrading and responsibility allowance.
He indicated that a total of 14,997 staff had been upgraded as of July 31 this year, and that 41,066 staff of GES currently received responsibility allowances.
He indicated that the list of staff who had been upgraded as well as those receiving responsibility allowance had been sent to the regional directors, and they had been asked to display them.
Prof. Opoku-Amankwa, therefore, urged staff of GES who qualified for either upgrading or responsibility allowance to check their respective regions and subsequently alert his/her office of any challenges.
He explained that management put a freeze on upgrading for sometime now because many of those staff went for further studies in various programmes without obtaining the necessary approvals from the service.
“Be rest assured that all these staff involved have been cleared to be upgraded to the appropriate ranks in the service. The work began last month and the rest would be added in the month of August, 2021,” Prof Opoku-Amankwa emphasised.
Contracts
He urged the heads to deliver to meet the demands of the performance contracts they signed recently by improving upon their performance by at least ten(10) per cent in the forthcoming 2021 WASSCE.