Some children in Naro, located in the Nadowli Kaleo district, are abandoning their studies to take part in illegal mining activities, known as 'galamsey'. Concerned parents in Naro have raised alarms about this issue in the community.
Mr Kpaamah Haruna Mandela, the assembly member for the Naro electoral area, revealed in an interview with Info Radio on Friday, May 31, 2024, that young boys from the community are shirking their studies to participate in 'galamsey' because they perceive it as very profitable.
He attributed this troubling trend partly to the lack of teachers in the community's schools, noting that all three schools in the area lack an adequate number of teachers.
He disclosed that the community is developing some bylaws to stop school children from abandoning classes for ‘galamsey’.
"An important issue our community is facing is that our children are leaving school to participate in illegal small-scale mining, known as 'galamsey.' We are considering implementing local regulations to address this problem in our community."
"We don't have an actual 'galamsey' site in our community, but the children who leave school and come back with money and motorbikes are setting a bad example for many other children in our community," he added.
"We have three schools in this community, but they lack teachers. None of these schools have enough teachers to educate the children, which is also contributing to the problem of children turning to 'galamsey' instead of attending school."
A visibly worried parent, Madam Memuna Abdul-Rahman, bemoaned the lack of teachers in the community’s schools.
She appealed to the Ghana Education Service and the district assembly to post teachers to the community schools.
"If children are in JHS two and they do not have teachers to teach them, how are they going to pass when they sit for their final exams? We are pleading with the district assembly to try and post some teachers to the schools in this community."
Commenti