PTA’s are association of teachers and parents that come together to work for the development and general welfare of the school, with the view of achieving the vision of the school. In Ghana, many of these associations are not able to work to achieve their objectives due to the following problems:
- Non-payments of PTA dues by parents stifles every positive initiative of the association
- Some parents find it difficult to attend PTA meetings due to the long distance they have to cover
- Dissemination of information to parents are so poor that some parents may not get the information
- Conflict of ideas between teachers and parents at meetings in terms of decision making affects the progress of the association.
- Some executive members are business men and women may prefer attending to their businesses rather than attending PTA meetings.
- The executives of some PTA are unable to render satisfactory reports on finances of the association.
32. What are some of the major problems of the girl child education?
Thank you Mr. Chairman, I will begin by saying that the girl child refers to a newly born baby girl up to girls aged less than 18 years. Of late as a result of certain foreign influences coupled with the springing up of some occult and rituals practices the girl child is exposed to a multiplicity of risk and hazards. Some of them are:
- Defilement
- Early marriage
- Teenage pregnancy
- Lack of good parental care
- Single parenthood
- Sexual harassment
- FGM
- Child abuse /labour at the expense of schooling
- Exposure to STI’s
- School drop out
33. What are the advantages of girl education?
Thank you Mr. Chairman, the late Dr. Aggery emphasize the importance of girl’s education when he said, “If you educate a man you educate an individual but if you educate a woman you educate a nation.
There are so many reasons why the education of girls is seen to be of great importance. Educated Women are:
- Good managers of their family resources.
- Can contribute their income towards the expenditure of their family
- Sympathetic to the social welfare of their parents and children.
- Can serve as a role model to other girls
- Helps to check population increase
- Reduction in illiteracy
- Help to eliminate or minimize certain outmoded cultural practices
- Help to reduce poverty.
- Empowering women better to articulate their views.
- Enable women to participate in the political arena of the country
- Enable women to take part in leadership roles in the community
34. What are some of the fundamental causes of student’s disturbances in schools?
Generally, student’s disturbances in our schools these days are a worry to educationist, parents and government. Several factors can be mentioned as contributory factors. Some of them include:
- Sexual immorality between male teachers and female students
- Fluctuation of quantity and quality of food served to students particularly students in boarding schools
- Misappropriation and misapplication of school finances and resources by school authorities
- Lack of financial transparency on the part of management or school authorities
- Running a closed fisted autocratic leadership style
- The absence of staff meetings to discuss issues and welfare of staff and students.
- The inability of the headmaster to periodically meet the prefectorial board or SRC to be able to nib issues in the bud before they generate into a problem
- Lack of total discipline among the staff and students
- The inability of the headmaster to strictly supervise the teachers and students to put up their best.
- The complete absence of an avenue through which students can express their grievances
- Punishment meted out to students without justification.
- Pilfering of school items by members of staff.
- Poor performance of students in their final WEAC examination.
- The complete absence of PTA meetings.
35. What measures can be put in place to control student’s disturbances?
- Formation of SRC and strengthening it
- Strengthening by-laws of the school to enforce discipline
- Running an open and transparent administration
- Organizing periodic meetings with students leadership to resolve their problems
- There should be cordiality among members of staff and students
- There should be unity among members of staff to be able to enforce discipline
- The headmaster should be up in doing in his supervisory role to ensure academic excellence
- Members of staff should stop leaking administrative issues and decisions to students
- Delegation of powers to both staff and students as a way of involving them in the administration of the school
