Learn To Appreciate Education And Run Away From Your Trading Perception – Education Director Tells Kwahu Parents.

Outgoing Municipal Director of Education in the Kwahu West Municipality, Hajia Barikisu Adams, has admonished parents in the Kwahu area in the Eastern region to as a matter of importance, learn to appreciate education and run away from the perception that they are people of trade alone. 

She has also advised pupils to take responsibility of their education to become the successful people they want to become.

Madam Barikisu Adams made these remarks this afternoon when the GES directorate of the Kwahu West assembly held a send-off ceremony in her honor at Nkawkaw. Explaining her remarks to newsmen after the ceremony, the education expert indicated that, in just two years of her service as education director of the Municipality, she has observed that parents in the area have always concentrate on their trading occupation and even sometimes expect their school going wards to soon complete basic school and join them in the open market to trade.

She said, the open market trade will soon fade away due to the current dominance of ICT and therefore if one does not learn this new trend he or she will be left out.

Speaking about her experience in the Municipality, Madam Barikisu admitted that even though it has not been so easy, she enjoyed the corporation of stakeholders which made her job interesting. Again, she reiterated her joy and appreciation to the community for appreciating her work and stay with them which according to her was demonstrated by the presence of the many families, relatives, teaching staff as well as representatives of chiefs and queen mothers who graced the send-off ceremony.

According to her, it was her wish to stay for four years to build a generation she met from primary six till they complete junior high school but as it were public servants are like soldiers who must serve every community and everybody at anytime.

She finally pleaded with everyone to pardon her if she had offended or stepped on their toes in her course of executing her duties as tough as her policies were, and pleaded with government to provide mobility to the heads of the education directorate to enhance their monitoring and also provide adequate supply of textbooks and other relevant materials to augment teaching and learning in the Municipality since those things continues to remain a challenge.

Municipal Chief Executive of the Kwahu West Municipality, hon. Yaw Owusu Addo also in his remarks stated that, he fell in love with the outgoing education director at the very first engagement with her because they both shared a common vision on education in the area.

He said as a result, an immediate programme was designed by both of them to start a weekend classes for the JHS pupils who were to sit the WAEC basic examination for nine schools in eight centres within the assembly on a pilot scheme a program which Hajia Barikisu exhibited so much dedication and proactiveness to ensure that it became a success. According to the MCE, unfortunately, just as the program was to begin its piloting stage to be replicated in other communities and schools, Madam Barikisu informed him of her sudden transfer.

Hon. Owusu Addo however indicated that once her outstanding leadership services was needed to enhance the educational standard of another part of Ghana, he together with the assembly, teachers and education staff, students and pupils and the entire community wish her well and pleaded Allah’s blessings for her in her new place.

Reverend Osafo Kantanka, the presiding minister of the Nkawkaw Presbyterian Church who also doubles as the head of missionary schools and head of the municipal education disciplinary committee, also reiterated and commended Hajia Barikisu motherly love and her exceptionally exemplary leadership role exhibited during her short stay with the assembly.

He also remarked that if they have the opportunity, they would have followed  madam Barikisu to her new place because of her dedication to her work and service particularly her passion to go all out to remote areas under her jurisdiction where her services was needed most. He however asked for Allah’s blessings for her in her new place.

By: Nana K. Andoh