GALAMSEY ACTIVITIES AFFECTS EDUCATION IN ASUTIFI (PAGE 20)

ILLEGAL mining (galamsey) activities in the Asutifi District in the Brong Ahafo Region is adversely affecting educational development in the area.
Some basic schoolchildren absent themselves from school in order to sell or work at galamsey sites in the district, particularly on market days.
Studies conducted by the District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) have shown that since the inception of galamsey in the area, some pupils and students engaged in the mining had shown gross disrespect for their teachers, refused to abide by rules and regulations, fought in school and openly defied school authorities.
The Asutifi District Director of the GES, Mr George Amano-Kyeremeh, made this known at an education forum at Kenyasi.
Action Aid Ghana organised the forum on the theme: “Galamsey: A misplaced priority for schoolchildren”.
According to Mr Amano-Kyeremeh, the behaviour of the children was as a result of their apparent wealth as a result of the sale of the gold particles they obtained from the illegal activities.
Speaking on the topic “The state of education in Asutifi District”, the district director observed that “pit or ghetto owners” as he described them, engaged some of the school boys to do all manner of menial jobs at the galamsey sites.
He alleged that before the boys went about their labour, they took in alcoholic beverages of all kinds, while others smoked hard drugs, so that they would not feel the difficulty and danger in the assignment.
Mr Amano-Kyeremeh also stated that some of the boys and girls went to the site to sell sachet water, kerosene, provisions, food and virtually everything that they could lay hands on.
According to him, some of the boys boasted of flashy mobile cell phones and displayed large sums of pocket money in school, adding that they openly disregarded their teachers’ instructions since they claimed to be better off than the teachers.
The director said there was an upsurge of sexual promiscuity and AIDS in the area.
“Another worrying aspect of the situation is that some of the pupils and students were on the verge of dropping out of school,” he stated.
Mr Amano-Kyeremeh stressed that truancy had become the order of the day, citing that for two academic years, four girls had dropped out of school at Hwediem, eight at Nkaseim and two at Kenyasi.
He said a total of 21 schoolgirls had become pregnant at Hwediem, Nkaseim, Acherensua, Gyedu and Ntotroso.
The director criticised some of the parents who were known to have encouraged their children to go into the illegal galamsey operations to help in keeping the household, describing such parents as irresponsible and shameful.
Mr Amano-Kyeremeh said the academic performance of the district was very encouraging until the inception of the illegal mining business, adding, “The effect of mining activities, if not monitored and remedied, would undo the successes chalked up so far”.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi North, Mr Paul Okoh, stated that it was against the laws of the country to engage children under 18 years in any form of labour.
He said both the Constitution and the Labour Act of 2003 enjoined adults to protect the rights and lives of children.
Mr Okoh expressed regrets that some parents in the district could no longer control their own children because of their so-called wealth in the galamsey activities.
The MP, therefore, impressed upon parents to insist that their children were enrolled and retained in school, so that they could plan for their future after acquiring the necessary educational qualification.
The Programme Manager of Action Aid Ghana, Madam Christina Amarchey, earlier in a welcoming address, noted with satisfaction that the district took the first position when the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results in the region were released in 2004 and 2006.
“However, everyone is concerned that the tide has since changed and the results are getting worse and worse,” she stressed.
Madam Amarchey observed that the reason for the change of event might be many and varied, but clearly, the recent rise in galamsey in the district could be a major contributory factor.