Parents have been urged to give utmost attention to the education of their children, by not only providing for their educational needs, but by also keeping abreast with their academic performance as well.
This admonishing was made during a stakeholders Consultative Meeting organized by the Agona West Municipal Directorate of Education in conjunction with the Municipal Assembly to ascertain the standard of education in the Central Region, particularly the Agona area.
The forum which was on the theme: ‘’Investing in the Education of the Youth for the Development of Agonaman’’ attracted high profile personalities in education such as the Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Professor Kwesi Yankah, the Municipal Director of Education Ms. Elizabeth Helen Essel, the Agona West Municipal Chief Executive Mrs. Justina Marigold Assan, the former Headmaster of Swderu Senior High School Mr. E.K.T. Osam, the Member of Parliament for Agona West Mrs. Cynthia Mamle Morrison, as well as the Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast Professor George Kwaku Toku Oduro and Mr. Joe Apea, a businessman and consultant who are all indigenes of the area.
Others who graced the occasion were the Chief of Agona Swedru Ogidigram Asiedu Botwe II, and representatives of the Omanhen of the Agona Nyakrom Traditional area and the Chief of Agona Duakwa
During the forum, it was revealed that educational standard in the Central Region, particularly the Agona area continues to fall, despite the fact that the area has produced and boast of many intellectuals who have, and continues to serve in all spheres of life both within and outside the country,
But the situation, according to some experts, could be blamed on lack of value of education on the part of some parents.
The proprietor of Ken’s Baptist Academy at Agona Asafo, Rev. Abraham Sanniez who shared his view on the situation said some parents, especially fathers, deliberately shirk their responsibility of educating their children because they don’t value the essence of education.
According to him, economic situation also plays a major part to the problem, as most of the parents in the area who even cherish education do not have the means to afford it, as their mainly engaged in peasant farming, which he said does not give them any substantial income to afford the education of their children.
He pointed out that the situation can change for the better if more job opportunities are created in the area.
Meanwhile, the founder of Gyanwa Education Complex, a Basic private Girl-Child School at Gomoa Afransi, Ms. Vida Magareth Odoom has called for more attention to be given to girl-child education, as they are more prone to social vices than their male counterparts.
She disclosed that of every batch of class, about half of the girls turn to drop out of school before their final graduation because of some of these negative social vices such as teenage pregnancy, and these refuse to go back to school even after delivery, according to Ms. Odoom.
She however hinted that the few who make it to the highest level excel in their various fields of endeavor as compared to their male counterparts.
By: Robert Ayanful