The Acting President of the National Council of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), Torgbui Duklui Attipoe V, has called on stakeholders of education to work towards a successful academic term for Senior High Students, given the infrastructural difficulties last term.
Interacting with a cross section of Journalists in Accra at the weekend, Torgbui Duklui Attipoe V said, the incident that characterized the reopening of Senior High School for first year students last term, had served as an eye opener for continuous collaboration among all partners in the education sector.
He said stakeholder must address the needs of schools, especially the infrastructure deficit like classroom blocks and accommodation for students and teachers.
Torgbui Duklui Attipoe V commended all schools’ PTAs for collaborating with the educational authorities to secure accommodation, which made it possible for the new students to pursue the Senior High Education.
He particularly acknowledged the support of the Government through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, saying it helped in no small way in bringing sanity into the system.
“It is the view of the National Council of PTAs that all on-going infrastructural works in the various schools will be accelerated, so that the unfortunate incidence experienced last academic term does not occur” he emphasized.
The Acting President of the National Council of PTAs also touched on the issue of encroachment on schools lands and said the situation had assumed a crisis dimension that ought to be addressed with the urgency it deserved.
He said it was sad that the situation had been left unchecked over the years, leaving most schools having their parcels of land developed by private individuals illegally.
Torgbui Duklui Attipoe V, therefore, called on other stakeholders, especially the Ministry of Education and the rightful landowners of school lands to collaborate with the National Council of PTAs to find a lasting solution to the problem.
He welcomed the complementary role of schools’ PTAs in enhancing quality teaching and learning, but cautioned that their demands especially the issue of dues should not be increased unduly, so that it does not create confusion between school authorities and local PTAs.
The National Council of PTAs Acting President commended the Regional chapters in the Volta, Greater Accra, Western and Upper East regions for their roles in ensuring congenial atmosphere in schools.
While the chapters in the Central and Brong Ahafo regions were in the formative stages, it was the hope of Torgbui Duklui Attipoe V that other regions quickly organize their chapters to ensure proper structure for the PTA at the district, regional and the national level.
He noted that the PTA was the sole socio-structural link between the educational system and the parents as well as the wards.
He appealed to the educational authorities to create the enabling environment for the growth of the PTAs from the school to national levels.
By this, the Associations would not only be a formidable force, but would be emboldened as a major player that continued to play a critical role in improving conditions in schools.
Torgbui Duklui Attipoe ‘V’ gave the assurance that the National Council of PTAs would not engage in action that would undermine the authority of heads of schools.
He said those with misgivings that the PTAs when nurtured and organized well into a formidable force would pose a threat to the educational system should disabuse their minds of such notion.
In his view, those who expressed fear about a formidable PTA were those who wanted to pursue their parochial interests.
He said it was also important for the education authorities to encourage PTAs to make inputs in the development of school curricula.
This would ensure that the rich and diverse background of the parents would be brought to bear on the curricula, so that such educational documents did reflect the changing times.
Torgbui Duklui Attipoe V advised parents to take keen interest in PTA activities, especially meetings where decisions, which invariably affected their wards and the schools in general.
“Such PTA activities make it possible for us as parents to assess the performance of our wards, their teachers and school management and offer the needed help to address the shortcomings” he emphasized.
According to Torgbui Duklui Attipoe V, parents’ interests in their wards while in school would go a long way to be a good source of motivation for teachers and school managers to quickly bring to the attention of parents, problems facing their wards and how they could be addressed to promote quality education.
He stressed that the welfare of teachers must always be of interest to PTAs.