The Chief Director of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC), Alhaji Alhassan Issahaku, expressed worried about the poor performance of the students in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the region, saying that the performance of students in the region in both examinations had been poor over the years.
He has therefore, called on the Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the region “to be on their toes to monitor the schools very well” in order for the final year students to perform well to uplift the image of the region.
The chief director said the NRCC would soon engage MMDAs and the GES to effectively monitor teaching and learning activities in the region for better outcomes.
He was speaking at a two-day comprehensive coordinating meeting with the Municipal, Metropolitan and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and the development partners in the region on Monday.
The meeting, jointly organised by the NRCC and the World Food Programme (WFP), brought together the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), Department Heads, Policy Link and representatives from the development partners, WFP, UNICEF, USAID and Civil Society Organisations.
It was to assess the progress of projects, activities and programmes currently ongoing in the region by the partners.
Alhaji Issahaku added that by the end of the year, MMDAs would be ranked base on the progress they had made in addressing the regional development gaps to ensure accountability and progress in the region’s development agenda.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shaibu, assured development partners and donor agencies of effective, efficient, monitoring and evaluation of their projects and programmes in the region.
The Minister said that the meeting with the MMDAs would ensure coordination and collaboration among the NRCC, MMDAs and development partners, and yield an annual assessment plan for them in the region.
The plan, he said would focus on addressing critical and emerging issues across various sectors, to provide a roadmap for effective development in the region.
He stated that the meeting was also meant to serve as a platform for “sharing innovative ideas to promote best practices and a comprehensive approach to overcoming challenges associated with project and programmes implemented.”
Alhaji Shaibu appealed to the MMDAs, and the development partners to contribute their wealth of experience and practical ideas to maximise the meeting benefits.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tamale, Mr Sule Salifu, on behalf of his colleagues assured the NRCC of their support and commitment to collaborate effectively in realising the development goals of the region to benefit the people they were serving.
FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, TAMALE
