News · Richard Boateng Opoku-Ofori

Vice President calls for effective leadership in basic schools

The Vice President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has called on headteachers to ensure that students receive quality education regardless of their financial backgrounds.

She said quality learning at the basic level plays a critical role in shaping the future of children, stressing that headteachers have a responsibility to provide effective academic leadership. 

She made the remarks at the 5th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Conference of Heads of Basic Schools, COHBS, held in Koforidua in the Eastern Region under the theme "Repositioning Headteachers for Effective School Governance and Improved Learning Outcomes." 

The Conference of Heads of Basic Schools, COHBS, is a professional body that brings together headteachers of public basic schools across Ghana. The association plays a key role in promoting effective school leadership, improving teaching and learning outcomes and addressing challenges affecting the administration of basic schools.

The Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of COHBS is organised every four years to provide a platform for headteachers to review issues affecting basic education, share experiences, discuss policies and elect new national executives to lead the association. 

The Vice President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, added that the quality of education at the basic level determines the future of students, noting that headteachers are central to creating the right academic environment for pupils, adding that effective leadership requires the implementation of reforms, proper management of finances, integration of technology into teaching and responding to the needs of teachers and students. 

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening the basic education sector to enable headteachers to perform their duties effectively.

She said government, through the Ministry of Education, is providing schools with the needed equipment while expanding digital literacy, access to Information Communication Technology, ICT resources and online learning platforms. She also called on school management committees, community leaders and education officers to support headteachers in improving school governance.

The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, highlighted some challenges affecting teachers, including inadequate water supply, poor school facilities, unsafe access roads and electricity challenges.

He assured teachers that government is working to address these concerns and disclosed plans by the Ministry of Education to construct fifty thousand housing units for teachers across the country.

The National President of COHBS, Nicholas Nii Kpakpo, appealed to government to provide basic schools, particularly those in rural communities, with the needed teaching and learning resources.

He also called for the recruitment of more teachers to underserved areas and urged government to train teachers before introducing technology into classrooms.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Awatey, commended teachers for their dedication and commitment to educating children despite the challenging conditions they face. 

She urged them to continue their good work and remain committed to supporting the development of the next generation.