Members of newly constituted School Management Committees (SMCs) of the Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Basic Schools (OLAS) 1 and 2 at New Achimota, Accra, have been challenged to ensure quality education delivery.
As members representing the schools as well as the community, they were charged to participate in and contribute to all discussions and decision-making pertaining to improving education delivery in the community the schools are located.
Inaugurating the SMCs for OLAs 1 and 2 at separate functions after the elections of executives, Nene Terkpertey, a Training Officer and Mr. Samuel Lotsu, both representing the Director of Education at the Ga North Municipal Education Office, reminded the SMC members to be interested in learning about all education reforms and interventions that are introduced into the education system from time to time.
They told them they owed their community a duty to support education delivery in their locality since they had accepted to serve on the SMC, and encouraged them to be proud of it.
Mad. Blessing Ametorwo, an Educationist, was elected the Chairperson of the SMC for OLAS 2 on February 17, 2022 with Mr. Francis Larbie as Vice; Michael Akrasi, Financial Secretary; Mr. Alex Faakang and Mr. Carl Ababio, Executive members while the Headteacher of OLAS 2, Mrs. Martha Kyera is the Secretary.
The elections for OLAS 1 held earlier on December 7, 2021 had Mr. Julius Samuel Asante, an Entrepreneur as Chairman with the Vice Chairman going to Mr. Isaac Owuredu; Mr. James Simpson, Financial Secretary; Mr. Emmanuel Lamptey, Organizer; Mr. Christopher Beyereh, Monitoring and Evaluation and Mrs. Francisca Ocloo Amoah, the Headteacher as Secretary.
OLAS was established on September 28, 1993, as a Private School after it was officially inaugurated by Most Rev. Dominic Andoh, Archbishop Emeritus of Accra of blessed memory, under the headship of Mr. Paul Arden Kumah, the first headteacher.
The Junior High School (then JSS), was opened on September 1, 1999, with an enrolment of 32 boys and 37 girls. The School was absorbed into the public system on September 28, 2002 with current population of about 1,500 pupils for both OLAS 1 and 2.
As a Catholic School, it is required by policy that the Chairperson of the SMC should automatically be a Catholic, hence the election of Mr. Asante and Mad. Ametorwo as Chairpersons for OLAS 1 and 2 respectively. Both are parishioners of Our Lady of Assumption (OLA) Catholic Church, manned by the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus.
The Ga North Municipal Education Officers who led the SMC members in taking their oath of allegiance, reminded them that as SMC members, they needed to know the education acts and policy initiatives that govern and drive education delivery in the country.
This, according to them, is because it would help them to understand the direction at which basic education was being developed so that they could also contribute to its improvement towards quality education for Ghanaian children and especially for pupils of OLAS.
Speaking on behalf of the members, Mr. Asante, Chairman of OLAS 1 SMC, thanked the Municipal Education Officers for inducting the executives and inaugurating the Committees.
He said as the Schools were mission in character, the SMC would work with all stakeholders to make OLAS grow over its envious reputation as a premium Catholic educational facility in the Ga North Municipality and probably to become one of the best in the Greater Accra region, if not the nation as a whole.
“We would therefore need the support of all, especially the church, teachers, parents and the community to help us do that,” he added.
In a bid to ensure that parents’ voices in particular are heard in matters related to their children’s education, in 1995, through a Regulation under the Ghana Education Service Act (Act 506) of 1995, the School Management Committee (SMC) was introduced.
The School Management Committee is a school-community-based institution aimed at strengthening community participation and mobilization for education delivery. It is made up of a group of people who promote the best interest of the school and ensures that the learners in a particular school receive the best education possible.
The SMC is aimed to become instrumental in bringing about the change that is needed in our basic school system and promote increased community action in support of school improvement.
It operates directly under the District Education Oversight Committee (DEOC) and in collaboration with the District /Municipal/Metropolitan Education Directorates and the schools.
The main role of the SMC is to help the headteacher of a school to organise and manage the school’s activities in an effective and efficient manner. In other words, the SMC must assist the headteacher to govern the school better.
In partnership with the school’s headteacher and teaching staff, the School Management Committee is expected among others to participate in establishing priorities and setting goals and developing strategies for school improvement; and regularly encourage parents and other community members to participate in the school’s improvement planning and implementation process.
It is also expected to review the school’s progress in implementing the School Performance Improvement Plan (SPIP) with the headteacher, and support the development of team and leadership skills for both teachers and learners in the school.
Again, the SMC is to help implement mechanisms to hold headteacher and staff accountable for progress towards the goals set out in the School Performance Improvement Plan as well as contribute to the development of the School Performance Improvement Plan.
