All basic school head teachers in the Asunafo North municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region have been put on probation for three months following the abysmal performance of pupils in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the area.
They would only keep their jobs after passing an aptitude test and interview at the end of the period.
Those who would fail the test would be sent back to the classroom.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Alhaji Mohammed Kwaku Doku, told the Daily Graphic at Goaso last Saturday that the decision was part of 'sweeping reforms' in the education sector in the area.
BECE results
In the 2012 BECE, the municipality achieved a woeful 45 per cent pass.
Even though this increased to 58. 5 per cent in 2013, the authorities still described the performance as unacceptable.
According to Alhaji Doku, the jump in performance followed the implementation of some of the education reforms initiated by the municipal authorities.
Supervision
Alhaji Doku noted that, the lack of supervision by some head teachers had resulted in some teachers failing to prepare lesson notes without any sanctions.
"Some teachers also do not mark attendance registers.”
"We can't allow this to continue, that is why we have taken the necessary steps to arrest the rot," he said.
Going forward, he said, the position of a head teacher in basic schools in the municipality would be advertised.
Applicants would go through a written test and interview rather than the prevailing situation where teachers were promoted straight from the classrooms.
"We are also going to organise capacity building workshops for members of the education oversight committee to enable them to perform their duties more effectively," he said.
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