Ghana Medical
School faces grim staffing problem
Eight teachers awarded in the New Juaben
Municipality
Education Director calls for bridging of
gender gap
Ghana Medical
School faces grim staffing problem
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 March
2001
Brain drain, poor service
conditions and inadequate funding are threatening the efficient running of the
University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS), Korle Bu.
The school, which should normally
be manned by 183 academic staff, is now run by 95 lecturers. Out of this
number, 23 are on post-retirement contract while a quarter of them will be
retiring in a few years' time.
Professor Clifford Tagoe, Dean of
the School, and Professor Albert Amoah, Vice Dean, made this known to the Ghana
News Agency in an interview on Thursday.
They attributed the major causes
of the shortage of staff to poor conditions of service, lack of teaching
equipment and other facilities, which do not attract qualified professionals.
Giving a breakdown of the staff
situation, Prof. Tagoe said the Surgery Department needs about 42 lecturers but
has only 18 at post.
"Pharmacology has three out
of the six required while Micro-biology has four out of 10 needed. Haematology
has two lectures instead of the six required," he added.
The dean lamented the brain drain
affecting the health sector, saying the professional staff situation in the
sector was grave.
"Between 1969, when the Ghana
Medical School was opened, and 1994, about 1,280 doctors were trained in Ghana.
"A review of the records of
the Medical and Dental Council in 1998 showed that less than 430 of this number
were left in the country.
"Over the past decade, the
total number of doctors practising in the country has not changed in spite of
the production of over 100 doctors each year."
Prof. Tagoe said that, currently,
there is only one doctor to 16,000 people and one nurse to 3,500 people.
He said that, as part of efforts
to address the manpower problem, the school is reviewing its post-graduate
programmes to assist in the training of more professionals.
He explained that because the
school recruits only specialists and consultants, those in private practise are
sometimes recruited for part time teaching. Other specialists turn down such
offers because service conditions are not the best.
Prof. Tagoe said the school
sometimes has little funds to run its academic programme, adding that the last
time money was given to the school to run its academic work was in June, last
year.
"We only received money for
salaries and we have to find ways of providing various teaching materials such as
chalk.
"There has been little
expansion of facilities and buildings. Lecture halls meant to accommodate some
40 students are now housing over 100 students," he added.
The dean noted that corporate
bodies and institutions such as Barclays Bank, COCOBOD, Valco Trust and Ghana
Re-insurance have been supporting some of their programmes but said government
support is crucial in sustaining the school.
GRi…/
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Eight teachers awarded in the New Juaben
Municipality
Koforidua (Eastern Region) 30 March 2001
The Ghana Education Service (GES), is to train 20,000 primary school teachers this year.
In addition, 63 billion cedis have been earmarked for the improvement and expansion of facilities at the basic and senior secondary school levels.
The New Juaben Municipal Co-ordinating Director, Mr Daniel A. Avvah, announced this at this year's New Juaben Best Teachers Award Ceremony, in Koforidua on Wednesday.
In all 18 teachers, four pupils and five schools were awarded for their contributions to the development of education in the Municipality.
They received radio cassette recorders, gas stoves, 14-inch colour television sets and certificates.
The best teachers' awards went to Miss Joyce Gyebi, of Mile 50 Local Authority Primary School, Miss Eugenia O. Boakye of Sarkodee Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Mr Emmanuel Agyepong of Pope John Secondary School. They all had 14-inch television sets each and certificates as their prizes.
GRi…/
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Education Director calls for bridging of
gender gap
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 30 March 2001
A director of the Ghana Education Service has said that the gap between girls and boys in education needs to be bridged if Ghana hopes to make strides in its development efforts.
Mrs Akua Debrah, Brong Ahafo Regional Deputy Director of Education, who made this observation, was speaking at the maiden celebration of the joint Brong Ahafo Regional/Sunyani District Girls Education Day in Sunyani last Wednesday.
The programme, which was under the theme "Education of the Girl-child, a Prerequisite for Sustainable Development", was to create awareness among parents on the importance of girl-child education.
Mrs Debrah said that the education of girls and boys in most areas in the country was in the ratio of two girls to five boys.
GRi…/
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