The Second Vice Chairman for Suame Constituency of New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Akwasi Asante, has chastised the Kumasi Metropolitan Directorate of Education for ‘misappropriating’ funds allocated for this year’s terminal examination for basic schools in Kumasi.
According to him, an amount of GH 327, 715.00 was allocated to the directorate to conduct the examination.
Speaking to the media in Kumasi, Mr Asante disclosed that government after instructing headteachers of basic schools not to levy pupils with examination fees, permitted metropolitan, municipal and district Directors of education to use capitation grant to conduct the examination.
According to him, government allocated an amount of GHC 39,692.50 for KG, GHC 164, 372.50 for primary schools and GHC 123,650.00 for Junior High Schools only in Kumasi.
Mr Asante was unhappy at the common examination questions set for the basic schools by the Kumasi Metropolitan Directorate of Education, describing it as a shoddy work and avenue to embezzle funds.
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According to him, the Kumasi Metropolitan Director of Education , Mrs Martha Owusu Agyemang, conspired with her officers to use such quantum of money to set what he described as substandard questions without providing pupils with answer sheets.
“For JHS level, instead of English Language and Religious and Moral Education (RME), tabled for Friday, the directorate failed to provide questions on English Language’ Mr Asante said.
According to him, the directorate also failed to provide questions on English Language and ICT for Basic Four (BS4) pupils, when the examination commenced on Friday.
He said some teachers were left with no other option than to force the pupils to buy official sheets to answer the required questions on them.
Some schools, he said, the teachers allowed pupils to tear sheets in their exercise books to answer the questions on them.
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“How can u set questions to basic schools without answer sheet after receiving an amount of GH 327, 715.00 to conduct such examination? Mr Asante questioned.
According to him, the “two A4 sheets” questions for each pupil can never cost GH 2.50 as allocated for each pupil by government hence the Directorate needs to be investigated.
Mr Asante disclosed that most of the questions for the primary schools were below standard which had even provoked the anger of some teachers not to even mark them.
“When did you reopen school for second term? Mr Asante wondered if such is a standard question for Basic five (BS.5) pupils.
Mr Asante commended Atwima Nwabiagya District Directorate and other directorates which allowed the various schools to conduct their own examination.
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