The Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumbungu Constituency in the Northern Region, Dr. Hamza Adam, has called on government to as a matter of urgency support the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to increase the allowances of teachers who supervise and invigilate the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to him, the amount given to the invigilators was insufficient under the current economic hardship facing the country, hence the need for government to resource WAEC to consider and increase the allowance to motivate the teachers.
“Let me also mention that, yesterday whiles I was going round to visit the examination centers to witness the writing of the BECE exams, I had a conversation with some of the teachers and I was very saddened about some of the issues that came out in the discussion. I got to realize that, the invigilation monies that was supposed to be paid from last year delayed unnecessarily and was only released when this year’s BECE exams was about to start, this is a demotivation to the teachers,” he said.
Dr. Hmaza Adam further explained that, “I was also saddened to realize that the amount that is given to the invigilators is just GH₵ 15, so imagine under this current economic hardships how much do you buy fuel and from Tamale to Kumbungu or Gbelung for invigilation and only to be paid GH₵ 15?” he lamented.
He thus charged central government to ensure funds meant for supervision and invigilation for the BECE and WASSCE Exams are released on time and immediately increased for the invigilators.
“We continue to spend more money on matters that are less necessary and pretend that we want education to develop, we can’t develop education with this type of attitude. Government should do something about this and the amount given to invigilators for supervising the BECE exams must also be increased,” he stated.
The Kumbungu NDC lawmaker made these remarks when he handed over a fully-furnished 6-unit classroom block comprising of an office and storeroom to the chiefs and people of Vogu Kusheebo. The 6-unit classroom block project was initiated by the MP and fully funded by the Wulugu Project to aid in the transformation of education in the community.
It is also in line with the MP’s commitment to providing quality and accessible education to his constituents.
Speaking at the short ceremony, Dr. Hamza Adam reiterated his commitment towards providing the necessary support to the educational sector. “I will continue to support the educational directorate, because education is my priority as an MP and as an educationist, I know education is the bedrock to development and that has continued to be my priority and I will continue to work hard to bring more interventions in the area of education,” he pledged.
He took the opportunity to urge the headteacher and staff of Vogu Kusheebo Primary School to increase their commitment towards handling the pupils under their care.
On her part the Kumbungu District Director of Education Madam Bernadette Kafari expressed her gratitude to the MP and the Wulugu Project for their continued collaborative efforts towards supporting the education sector in the district.
She thus called on parents within Vogu Kusheebo to take their wards future seriously by enrolling them into the school.
Meanwhile, the Country Director of the Wulugu Project, Solomon Nachin Naa, whose remarks at the ceremony was delivered on his behalf, urged the community members and the school authority to strive hard to maintain the facility for the benefit of the students and the community as a whole.
Story By: Alhassan Yakubu
