Don't take over the responsibilities of head teachers

Obuasi (Ash), March 14, GNA - Members of School Management Committees (SMC's) have been advised not to take over the responsibilities and functions of head teachers and circuit supervisors in the performance of their duties.
     Mr Joseph K. Onyinah, Obuasi Municipal Director of Education who gave the advice, observed that some SMC members had turned themselves into head teachers and circuit supervisors and were assessing the performances of teachers through the observation of their lesson delivery from the windows of their classrooms.
     Inaugurating the reconstituted SMC's for public and private basic schools in the Obuasi municipality on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Joe Boampong, he said the day-to-day administration of schools was the responsibility of the head teacher.
     Mr Onyinah said members of SMCs should rather ensure that government policies and programmes on education were effectively implemented in their respective school.
     He said it was essential for SMC's to understand what the capitation grant stood for so that they could team up with their head teachers to ensure its proper usage to promote effective teaching and learning in schools.
     The Municipal Director explained that the capitation grant had not come to erase the contributions of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) towards the development of their school.
     He stressed the need for active and functional SMC's, saying; they would soon be invited for a workshop to help them know their roles for effective operations.
     Mr Onyinah cautioned against the situation where some head teachers relied on only one or two SMC members without consulting others on matters affecting their schools.
     Nana Addo Fordwour, Municipal Community Participation Co-ordinator, explained that the SMC concept was to strengthen community participation and mobilization for effective educational delivery at the basic education level.
     He called for hard work from the members so that the municipality could maintain its enviable record of taking the first position in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for the last three years running.

14 March 07