Debates of 9 Feb 2010

MADAM SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:30 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon Members, Correction of Votes and Proceedings of Friday, 5th February, 2010.
Pages 1 5 --
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, page 5, item 4(5), the Hon Member for Dormaa West (Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu), I do recollect that I transmitted his leave of absence form to your office. Equally so for item 4(12), the Hon Member for Atiwa (Mr. Kwasi Annoh Ankamah). If we can look at them because I remember that I transmitted their leave of absence forms to your office.
Madam Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Thank you.
Pages 6, 7, 8 --
Hon Members, there is a correction here. Page 10 should have come in place of page 9 and then page 9 goes to page 10.
Mr. J. B. Aidoo 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the page which had been numbered 9, we have 1 -- Opening:
“The Committee met on Friday, 5th February, 2010 at 1.30 a.m. . . .” [Interruption.] --
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
It should be “p.m.”;
is it not it?
Mr. J. B. Aidoo 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, yes.
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Thank you, Hon Member. So, that is page 9.
Pages 10 - 11.
Mr. J. B. Aidoo 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, page 11, the numbering, I think it is a continuation from page 10; and on page 10, paragraph 3, “In attendance”, the last name is numbered vii. So the next one should have been viii instead of iii; and the rest should continue to xii. So instead of iii, it should be viii -- [Interruption] --
Madam Speaker, I am told it is a different committee. There is a mix-up which ought to be corrected.
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
All right. It will be noted and corrected.
Mr. J. Y. Chireh 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, on page 10, number (1) -- Opening. Your Committee is meeting at some hour. I want to find out, is it “a.m”. this time or “p.m”?
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon Member, I did not quite understand -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Chireh 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the numbering is still a problem for me. Is there an explanation; if you look at “In attendance”?
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
“In attendance”; yes, that is, you are talking about paragraph 3 of the new page 9? Yes, and your question is, is it only two people who attended or what was it?
Mr. Chireh 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker , I was in attendance and I have not been marked as being present.
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Yes, so your name should have been in?
Mr. Chireh 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, yes.
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon Member, thank you.
Hon Members, Votes and Pro-ceedings of Friday, 5th February, 2010 as corrected is adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Shall we now move to the Official Report of Wednesday, 3rd February, 2010.
Yes, Hon Member.
Dr. A. A. Osei 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, column 356, the third statement that is attributed to me. There are a few corrections that need to be made. The first one is that, in the first sentence of the second line: “We were trying to launch the maturity profile . . .” It should have been “We were trying to lengthen the maturity profile. . . .”
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
“Lengthen the maturity profile . . .”
Dr. A. A. Osei 10:40 a.m.
Yes. The fourth line; it reads: “Remember the third bond”, it should be “remember the TOR Bond”, not “the third”.
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
All right.
Dr. A. A. Osei 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the fifth line reads as follows: “It is 25 years”; it is supposed to have read: “it was for five years”. Then the second paragraph of that same place, the last line, it reads as follows: “intermediate between us in this financial intermediaries”. It should have been “intermediate between us and the financial intermediaries”.
Madam Speaker, thank you.
Madam Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Thank you.

Hon Members, the Official Report of Wednesday, 3rd February, 2010 as corrected represents the true record of

proceedings.

We now move to Questions.

The First Question stands in the name of Hon John Gyetuah, Member of Parliament for Amenfi West.

Hon Member, can you ask your Question now?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10:40 a.m.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH 10:40 a.m.
Minister for Health (Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor) 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the current policy of the Ministry of Health is that where there is a mission hospital in a district, the Government of Ghana will support the development of that hospital rather than build another one to compete with it.
The Ministry, therefore, will continue to support the Father Thomas Alan Rooney Memorial Hospital at Asankrangua which is a mission hospital with medical equipment to be effective in playing the role as the district hospital for Wassa Amenfi West. The Government is also paying the salaries of doctors and other health professionals in the hospital.
There are immediate plans to provide another hospital for Wassa Amenfi West in addition to the Father Thomas Alan Rooney Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Gyetuah 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to find out from the Hon Minister, considering the vastness of the district, and looking at the infrastructure facilities over there -- since it was built in 1954 and the infrastructure facilities are so

small and cannot contain the population over there, can he assure us of expansion of that particular hospital.
Dr. Kunbuor 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the health needs of Asankrangua area has to do with other levels of health facilities, like a number of health centres that are being considered. Madam Speaker, but statutory speaking, a district can only have one hospital at a time. However, we will consider expanding some of the facilities in the current hospital.
Mr. Gyetuah 10:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, looking at the peculiar situation that we have in the Wassa Amenfi West District, may I have assurance from the Hon Minister whether expansion will be started this year at Asankrangua?
Dr. Kunbuor 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, we have a number of those considerations. As of now, there are sixty-two districts that do not have health facilities and they are the current priority for the Ministry. But we have also looked at the distribution of health facilities not only in relation to the mass of the land but also the population and the number of people who attend the health facilities. Fortunately, Asankrangua is one of the concentrated areas and plans are being put in place to address the problem.
Mr. George Kofi Arthur 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I would want to know from the Hon Minister, the plan the Ministry has currently for Asankrangua Hospital.
Dr. Kunbuor 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Asankrangua Hospital facility falls under one category of three, and this one has to do with scaling up the equipment level to provide for specialist medical activity in that facility. It is also intended that the hospital will be linked up with a number of CHPS compounds that are being developed to make sure that we reduce the pressure that are on that particular
health facility.
Mr. C. S. Hodogbey 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, in his Answer, he said currently, there are about sixty-two districts to be given district hospital status. Would it not be better if he can provide a list of these hospitals and when the Ministry will be able to upgrade them to district hospital level, so that we do not have to be coming back to Parliament to be asking the same Questions on all these sixty-two hospitals.
Madam Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Yes, I will ask the Hon Minister but Hon Member, you know, you do not normally have to come back and ask the same Questions. You know that. But let us hear what the Hon Minister says.
Dr. Kunbuor 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I have actually been holding discussions with the Leadership. As we see, almost all the Questions today are in relation to district hospitals. We have compiled the total number of projects at various stages in relation to district hospitals and that will be made available to Hon Members so that we could discuss some of the Questions that are still going to come up.
Mr. Frederick Opare-Ansah 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, in the Minister's Answer, he ends by saying:
“. . . rather than build another one to compete with it.”
Madam Speaker, is the Hon Minister telling us that hospitals in a particular area are competing for the sick or he would rather consider building one to augment the services of the other?
Dr. Kunbuor 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
national resources are definitely limited and a health facility normally requires a lot of things to make it functional and were you to create two cognate or similar health facilities, they definitely will be competing for resources that ought to be concentrated
in one area. We do appreciate the fact that they could augment each other but in the face of the limited nature of the resources, in terms of both equipment and personnel, we would rather want to concentrate on the single one.
Mr. David Hennric Yeboah 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, in the Minister's Answer, he said the Government would support mission hospitals where there are some. In my constituency, Seventh Day Adventist SDA Hospital is always crying for logistics from the Government. Can the Hon Minister help to provide some logistics to them if, in fact, the Ministry is helping the mission hospitals?
Dr. Kunbuor 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
logistics are very, very wide field and if the Hon Member could specify some specific aspects of the logistic requirement. But I am almost certain that all the salaries of mission hospitals, minimum equipment, nurses and the administrative staff are being catered for by Government. But if there is a logistic need that is peculiar to the SDA, we will be happy to address that.
Madam Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Shall we move to
the next Question standing in the name of Hon Maj. Derek Yaw Oduro (retd.) (Nkoranza North)?
District Hospital -- Nkoranza North
(Provision )
Q. 263. Mr. Kwame Amporfo Twumasi (on behalf of Hon Maj. Derek Yaw Oduro (retd)): asked the Minister for Health what plans the Ministry had to provide Nkoranza North District with a district hospital.
Dr. Kunbuor 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Health has initiated steps to provide every district with a district hospital. Nkoranza North is one of the priority districts to be provided with a district hospital.
The construction of these priority district hospitals would commence as soon as budgetary allocations for capital projects submitted for consideration are approved.
Mr. Twumasi 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I
thank the Minister for indicating to this House that Nkoranza North District is considered as one of the priority districts to benefit from this facility. I go on to ask the Hon Minister, in the Answer, the last paragraph and I quoted him earlier - [Inter-ruption.] --
“. . . as budgetary allocations for capital projects submitted for consideration are approved.”
Is the Hon Minister referring to the 2010 budgetary allocations?
Dr. Kunbuor 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the procedure normally is that, after the Appropriation Act has been passed, a procurement plan, particularly, on capital investment are prepared and cleared with the Ministry of Finance and they issue the specific ceilings for each quarter in terms of disbursements and that is the stage we have reached. When we get clarification on the adoption of the procurement plan we will commence.
Mr. Twumasi 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, by all indications, the Hon Minister knows what facilities would be provided under this scheme. May I know from him what facilities Nkoranza North will get under the hospital project?
Dr. Kunbuor 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the nature of facilities to be provided in a health facility will depend on the status of the health facility. There are standardized requirements for a district health facility. I am also certain that there might be peculiar problems in the Nkoranza District that might require additional facilities. With
Madam Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member, your last question if --
Dr. Kojo Appiah-Kubi 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I represent Atwima-Kwanwoma Constituency and submitted a similar Question on when Atwima-Kwanwoma District will be provided with a district hospital. My Answer was in a written form and I crave your indulgence to read the Answer to you.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon Member, what is the number of your Question? [Interruptions.] Is it listed today?
Dr. Appiah-Kubi 11 a.m.
Yes, Madam Speaker. It is listed.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
What is the number?
Dr. Appiah Kubi 11 a.m.
348.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
We have not even got there. Let us finish the list. When we get there, we will cross it.
Yes, the next Question for the Hon Minister stands in the name of Hon John Duoghr Baloroo (Lambussie).
District Hospital -- New Lambussie-Karni District
(Provision)
Q. 264. Mr. John Baloroo Duoghr asked the Minister for Health when a district hospital would be provided for the people of new Lambussie-Karni District.
Dr. Kunbuor 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Lambussie-Karni District is one of the new districts without a district hospital. However, the district has a health centre with competent and qualified staff.
The Ministry's immediate plan, therefore, is to upgrade the health centre into a polyclinic while funds are sourced for the provision of a district hospital in the long-term.
Mr. Baloroo 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I will like to know from the Hon Minister, how soon funds will be sourced out to enable the Lambussie people to also have community healthcare.
Dr. Kunbuor 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Lambussie proposed polyclinic is one of five that are currently with the crown agents and they are sourcing value for money. Should that report be ready, we would commence.
Mr. Baloroo 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Hon Minister, the Lambussie District is a very rural district and the health facilities in the district are quite inadequate. You will realize that people from Koro, Kiliganteng will have to travel to Piina, about 40 kilometres for health service. So will it be appropriate for him to, maybe, give Koro a clinic because they have been given a new health centre? So will he help the people by trying to upgrade the Koro CHPS compound into a clinic?
Dr. Kunbuor 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I can even add two more distant communities which are basically Buli and then Jirigan. These are perhaps the longest distances that we have. We do know there are two Koros. It is one Koro that actually has the CHPS compound and there are arrangements in place to get another CHPS compound for the other section of Koro.
Mr. Baloroo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I will also like to know from the Hon Minister when the National Health Insurance Office will be moved to Lambussie. As at now, they are still with the Jirapa District Health
of my constituents.
Dr. Kunbuor 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the provision of a hospital at Nkwanta North remains a priority of the Ministry of Health in view of the government's plan to construct a major highway through the district to the northern part of the country. A hospital at Nkwanta North would, therefore, serve the health needs of the residents as well as motorists who may be involved in motor accidents along the highway.
Currently, there are a number of health centres in the district. As a first step in organizing public health services in the district, the Ministry plans to provide Nkwanta North with a District Health Directorate in the short-term. The construction of the Nkwanta North District Hospital would commence as soon as funds are available.
Mr. Nitiwul 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, in the Minister's Answer, he says in the first paragraph and with your permission, I quote:
“The provision of a hospital at Nkwanta North remains a priority of the . . .”
I will want to find out from him whether he would assure the people of Nkwanta North Constituency and district that if and when Government gets funds, their district hospital will be part of the first batch that will be considered by this Government.
Dr. Kunbuor 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, unfortunately, we did not intend to construct these facilities that are statutory requirements by budgets and that is partly why the funds are being considered so that they could all commence simultaneously.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Yes, Hon Nitiwul, you have three supplementary questions.
Mr. Nitiwul 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I just want to find out from the Hon Minister
Service and people have to travel from Koro, Kiligang, Liero, about 40 kilometres just to get the health insurance card and on foot or by bicycle. So I am actually appealing to his Ministry, if they can help us by moving the office to Lambussie so that people can have access to these facilities.
Dr. Kunbuor 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, perhaps, I have an apology to add to the answer here. That at the time we were debating in this House, the National Health Insurance Authority Bill, it did come out very strongly from me that our health districts were not coterminous with our administrative districts.
If we had listened to that argument, you would have noticed that over 70 per cent of the patients in the new Lambussie District actually access their health facilities from Nandom, which is basically four kilometres as against going to Jirapa which is about 40 kilometres away. A lot of plans and legal reforms are afoot currently with the Attorney-General's Department to re- demarcate our health insurance districts and I am sure the new district will get itself insurance directorate.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Thank you. Shall we move to the next Question?
Hon Joseph Kwaku Nayan, Nkwanta North, can you put your Question?
District Hospital and District Health Directorate --
Nkwanta North (Provision)
Q. 347. Mr. Dominic A.B. Nitiwul (on behalf of Mr. Joseph Kwaku Nayan) asked the Minister for Health when the Nkwanta North District would be provided with a district hospital and District Health Directorate to take care of the health needs
Mr. R. A. Adiyia 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, can the Hon Minister confirm that the Ministry had signed a loan agreement of 339 million US dollars for the construction of two regional hospitals and six district hospitals?
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Do you know? I think the question is, do you know? He should know before he confirms, is it not?
Dr. Kunbuor 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I am certainly not aware of this. There are two levels -- The negotiation for funding is normally signed by the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning. The only time the implementing agency or the beneficiary agency gets involved is on an agreement for implementation. But I have not been a signatory to any document for 339 million US dollars as at now.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
The next Question was number 348 which stood in the name of Hon Dr. Kojo Appiah-Kubi and the request was that it should be a Written Answer.
Honourable, you have received your Answer?
I direct that it should be printed in accordance with Order 64(4) -- [Interruption.] That it should be printed
when he believes funds will be available for the construction of these hospitals. When will the funds be available and what efforts is he making to get the funds?
Dr. Kunbuor 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, as I indicated in an answer to a related question, we will make available to this House a detailed write-up indicating all the projects, the various stages they have reached in terms of funding, ranging from funds that are immediately available, those that are still going through value- for- money assessment, those on which negotiations are taking place, and those that are being negotiated by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. That document will outline all the health sector capital investment projects and I am sure the Hon Member will receive his copy.
Mr. Nitiwul 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker I hope that that document will come to this House. This is because this is not the first time we are hearing of this document coming to the House.
But Madam Speaker, he says in the last paragraph and with your permission, I quote:
“As a first step in organizing public health services in the district, the Ministry plans to provide Nkwanta North with a District Health Directorate in the short-term.
Madam Speaker, what does he mean by “short-term”? How short will the “short- term” be?
Dr. Kunbuor 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to put on record that I have not come before this House to promise this document. I started the discussions with the Leadership a few days ago and I am sure when the Leadership gets back to me, we will make the particular document available to the House.
in the Official Report of today.
Thank you.
WRITTEN ANSWERS TO 11:10 a.m.
QUESTIONS 11:10 a.m.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH 11:10 a.m.
Dr. Kumbuor 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, Atwima Kwanwoma District is one of the districts in Ashanti Region without a district hospital. The district has been prioritized for the provision of a district hospital.
The construction of the district hospital would commence as soon as funds are sourced for the project.
Printed under Order 64(4) of the Standing Orders.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Shall we move on?
Dr. Appiah-Kubi 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I just want to make a comment. The fact that we request for Written Answers does not mean that anything could just be given to us. These Answers are very important -- [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon Member, can we move on? You have finished with your Question. We are not -- [Interruption.]
Dr. Appiah-Kubi 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, let me show you -- [Inerruption.]
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
No, you are not -- [Interruption.]
Dr. Appiah-Kubi 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I will read the Answer that I received.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
No, you are not

I think next time, we will find a proper forum to discuss it but we do not have time for discussion. We have a lot of Questions for our very busy Hon Minister.

The next Question, Hon Members, stands in the name of Hon George Boakye (Asunafo South).
Mr. A. C. Ntim 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Hon Member is not in the House and he has asked me to crave your indulgence to ask Questions Nos. 379 and 830 on his behalf.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
All right.
Mr. Ntim 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker -- [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
I thought the next Question was going to another Hon Minister and I was deflected from my course.
I am sorry, Hon Minister. We thank
you for coming to answer our Questions. You may go. We know you will always come to answer our Questions for which we are very grateful.

The next Question stands in the name of Hon Boakye.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 11:10 a.m.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, on record is the problem with the construction of slabs at the top of the third floor of the building and that was what delayed action for some time, but that problem has been solved and therefore, the contractor is now on the job.
Mr. Ntim 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, can the Hon Minister tell us how much has been paid to the contractor so far?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I am sorry I cannot. I need notice.
Mr. G. K. B. Gbediame 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, may I know from the Hon Minister whether there was a consultant who was supervising the job? I ask that because from the Hon Minister's Answer, towards the end of the project period, it was observed -- So I wanted to know whether there was a consultant who was supervising the project for the abnormalities to be observed only when the project was getting to the end of the period.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, there was and there is a consultant but I cannot tell exactly who the consultants are.
Prof. (Emeritus) S. K. Amoako 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to know from the Hon Minister whether there is going to be a variation in the contract sum of ¢295,891.16 since there has been a delay in the completion of the project.
11. 20 a.m.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I would like the Hon Member to come again.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Yes, Honourable?
Prof. (Emeritus) Amoako 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, what I wanted to know is, since there has been a delay in completion of the project, is there going to be a variation in the contract sum as quoted in his answer.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, if a variation is justified, it will be executed.
Mr. C. S. Hodogbey 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, talking about the use of the GETFund, I would like to know which institutions do benefit from use of the GETFund because there are several universities now emerging and quasi-public institutions. I would like to know which class of people do benefit from the GETFund.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon Minister, though it is a different Question, can you answer? It will save us a tortuous way, would it not? [Laughter.]
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I cannot answer that question now though it is a good one, he may come back at another time.
Mr. Yaw Ntow-Ababio 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, in the Answer to the Question, the Hon Minister did indicate to the House that he cannot tell us how much he has paid the contractor to date. In another breath, he said that he will be making further payment very soon -- as soon as possible. I want to know how much money is involved in this contract which is going to be paid very soon.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I indicated that I did not know how much had been paid so far. In the same vein, I cannot tell how much is left. These details, I have not really prepared myself to indicate.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
The next Question is also in the name of -- [Interruption.]
Q. 379. Mr. Augustine Collins Ntim (on behalf of Mr. George Boakye) asked the Minister for Education the measures the Ministry had put in place to ensure the early completion of the boy's dormitory funded by the GETFund at Kukuom Agricultural Senior High School.
Minister for Education (Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo) 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the project in question is a 2-storeyed boys' dormitory block. It was awarded on contract to Messrs Abeku Construction Works in September, 2007, at a contract sum of GH¢295,891.16, to be completed within a period of 12 calendar months.
Towards the end of the project period
2008, it was observed that the contractor was not working according to schedule because of some technical problems and delays in the payment of certificates on the project.
The Ministry, through the GETFund, will expedite action on payment of outstanding certificates and the project is now scheduled for completion by the end of October, 2010.
Mr. Ntim 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Hon Minister has indicated as part of the Answer, in the last paragraph, that the project is now scheduled for completion by the end of October, 2010. May I know how soon will the contractor be paid?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, as soon as possible. As I indicated, his certificates are being processed for payment and very soon payment will be made. The contractor can check up from the Ministry.
Mr. Ntim 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Hon Minister has also indicated part of the problems causing the delays as technical. Can he give us an indication of some of
Supervision of Public Basic Schools (Improvement)
Q. 380. Mr. C. A. Ntim (on behalf of Mr. George Boakye) asked the Minister for Education what pragmatic steps the Ministry had put in place to improve supervision in public schools in the country.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
the Ministry is taking steps to improve supervision in public basic schools in the country. These include:
i. reviewing of Headteachers Handbook and the School Management Committee (SMC) Manual to reflect and strengthen the current monitoring and supervision practices;
ii. improving mobility of circuit supervisors with the supply of motorbikes;
iii. col laborat ing with civi l soc ie ty organiza t ions in carrying out research into school administration and management with the view to exposing the weaknesses in school supervision.
iv. strengthening the capacity of district directorates by providing them with vehicles to carry out school monitoring and inspection; and
v. establishment of the National Inspectorate Board (NIB).
Mr. Ntim 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, may I find out from the Hon Minister what specific targets have been set for the various headteachers that are being monitored?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
rose
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Yes, Hon Ntim, your next question. He has one more question.
Mr. Ntim 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, there is a vital unit in the various District Assemblies with regard to education supervision and that is the District Education Oversight Committee (DEOC). I am sure he is aware of that. I was expecting that because of the pivotal role this committee plays in the administration of education in the various Assemblies, I thought that as part of his strategies adopted, this vital Committee is going to be mentioned. May I find out -- what pragmatic steps has he adopted to strengthen the DEOC in the various Assemblies?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the functions of the DEOCs go beyond supervision of schools and the Education Act, Act 605, deals with the functions. It is true that as part of these functions, the DEOCs have the responsibility of visiting these schools. From time to time, when the facilities are available and, indeed, when the fuel situation is good enough, the DEOCs send teams to visit some of these schools.
How many they can do within the year, is something else we have to think about. But it is true and we appreciate the fact that the DEOCs can also help in improving the quality of supervision in our schools and we would do everything this fiscal year to empower them to do their work effectively.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Question to the Hon Minister
targets for the attainment of efficiency in teaching and learning are targets that are being reviewed from time to time depending upon the performance of the heads and staff and the pupils in the various schools. I have not got the specifics of targets set for any particular district even though the performance plans of these districts are reviewed from year to year. The said targets for efficiency in supervision are not available as an answer to this question at the moment.
Mr. Ntim 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, may I find out from the Hon Minister, as indicated in paragraph three of the steps adopted to improve supervision in public schools -- it reads;
“. . . Improving mobility of circuit supervisors with the supply of motorbikes”.
Madam Speaker, we are aware that the major constraint with regard to supervision at the various local levels has to do with getting sufficient funds to buy fuel. Now, we are also aware that there has been a consistent delay in the release of funds to the various districts to monitor those activities. I was expecting therefore, as part of measures to curb that, to include provision of sufficient and timely release of funds to the various education directorates; but it is not there. Can he explain what measures with regard to funds released to various directorates to monitor effectively the various supervisors at the district level?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, provision of vehicles, be they saloons, four wheels or motor bicycles goes with supply of fuel. I agree with the Hon Member that a key obstacle is the regularity of the supply of fuel. The budget has made provision for that and I am sure the current
was that he should indicate what steps the Ministry has put in place. Now, in the Answer, we have a list of things that are being done, or measures being put in place. Madam Speaker, can the Hon Minister indicate how far he has gone with some of these programmes, especially with the establishment of the Inspectorate Board?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I think we would zero in on the establishment of the National Inspectorate Board. We are about to complete the interviews for the selection of the Chief Inspector, the two Deputies and the nucleus of the administrative staff that would run the inspectorate office in Accra.
Mr. David Oppon-Kusi 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, there is a school of thought that school inspection should be made autonomous from the Ministry of Education or better still the Ghana Education Service. Does his answer infer, that is, the establishment of the National Inspectorate Division -- does it indicate that we are going to have an independent body to supervise, independent from the Ghana Education Service?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, it is exactly so. As the White Paper on the Education Reforms indicate, we should have an external inspectorate body aside from the formative inspection being undertaken by the Ghana Education Service and that is what we are running at the moment with - the establishment of the external inspectorate body.
Prof. (Emeritus) S. K. Amoako 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, as members of the Select Committee on Education went round, one thing that came out clearly was that personnel of the Inspectorate Division are stationed outside their circuits. Since this Question is asking for pragmatic steps,
would the Minister tell the House what pragmatic steps have been taken to station personnel of the inspectorate division in the districts in which they work?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I am not very clear in my mind the personnel the Hon Member is referring to as the inspectorate team that must be stationed as close as possible to their districts. I am not very clear on the issue.
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon Member?
Prof. (Emeritus) Amoako 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I think the school districts are sub-divided into circuits and people are allocated specific circuits to inspect, and since he has been referring to commuting problems -- transportation problems -- has he taken any pragmatic steps to station the personnel in the districts in which they work? That was my question.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, in collaboration with the District Assemblies, steps are being taken to find accom-modation for most of the circuit supervisors but it is always difficult to get enough accommodation for these officers. That is why we try as much as possible to make them mobile, so they can stay away and be able to commute between their residencies and the schools they are inspecting as easily as possible. So the pragmatic steps are the efforts to facilitate their work, providing them with the motorbikes, finding accommodation for them so that they can do their work effectively.
Mr. K. A. Twumasi 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to know from the Hon Minister, how many district directorates have not been served with vehicles to enable them carry out school monitoring and inspection.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I cannot tell the figure right away, but distribution was made two years ago.
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
The next Question
stands in the name of Hon Theophilus Tetteh Chaie (Ablekuma Central).
Yes, Hon Member, put your Question.

Non-Formal Education Facilitators (Motivation)

Q. 381. Mr. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie asked the Minister for Education what the Ministry was doing to ensure that facilitators of the non-formal education literacy classes were motivated during and after their service to the community.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Non-Formal Education Division of the Ministry of Education is tasked with the responsibility of making the about 46 per cent illiterate population of Ghana functionally literate by helping them to read, write, calculate and acquire occupational skills to enhance their livelihood. These skills are also designed to empower them to be active citizens in decision-making.
To enable the Division implement
its policies and programmes, it recruits volunteer facilitators from communities to handle the literacy classes. The facilitator is, therefore, the key link between the community and the Non-Formal Education Division (NFED) and his or her role has never been underestimated as a core function in literacy delivery.
To sustain the interest of the volunteer facilitator before, during and after the
twenty-one-month cycle of service, the Ministry, through the NFED, has put in place, some measures:
1. certificates are awarded to facilitators after training;
2. regular visits by the regional and district officers and monitoring for headquarters officers;
3. community leaders like chiefs, assemblymen and women visit the classes at the community level to interact with learners and facilitators and encourage them to work hard; and
4. after twenty-one months of successful facilitation, the facilitator is awarded one of the following items as incentive;
bicycles, roofing sheets, ghetto blaster/cassette player and sewing machine.
The challenge facing the Division at the moment is inadequate incentives to cover the last batch of facilitators.
However, an amount of thirty thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢30,000) has been allocated to the Ministry in the 2010 Budget under investment for the purchase of incentives for facilitators.
The Ministry is also negotiating with the development partners to apply some of their funds to support the facilitators.
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Yes, supplementary question.
Mr. Chaie 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we all know that one of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals is to ensure that we reduce poverty. My question to the Hon Minister was that, can he assure this House
Hon Minister whether the non-motivation of the facilitators is the cause of this problem and if not, can he provide us with some reasons why we have a vast shortfall in terms of learners‘ enrolment.?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, a functional literacy programme being funded under the World Bank ended three years ago. And it has been a problem for the Division to repackage their literacy programme to enable us seek further funding from other sources. A n d currently, we have drawn up the third phase of that literacy programme and we are intensifying our effort, to get donors or partners to pick this programme and sponsor it.
So we are doing our best, working very hard to get the third phase of the literacy programme launched as soon as possible. And it was because of the lack of funds to re-organise the literacy programme that led to the drop in the number of learners targeted by the Division. And I think this situation will change as soon as the third phase of literacy programme takes off.
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member for Assin South (Prof. D. K. Fobih).
Prof. D. K. Fobih 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to find out from the Hon Minister whether the facilitators are engaged over time and if so, whether the items for motivating them is not going to be monotonous for the same facilitator who has taught the classes over time.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, as I indicated, the facilitators are picked from the communities. And where you do not have a lot of people to volunteer as facilitators, the trend is that you keep on falling on the people who make themselves available. Therefore, there are
that the budgeted estimate of GH¢30,000 which is used for investment in the Non-Formal Education Division will be released on time to ensure that facilitators are rewarded adequately?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I am sure and I can confirm that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning is going to make timely releases of the funds that should be made available to my Ministry including the release to the Non- Formal Education Division for the purpose of procuring the necessary incentives.
Mr. Chaie 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, when you look at the last paragraph of the Hon Minister's Answer, he said his Ministry was negotiating with some development partners to apply some of their funds to support the facilitators. I want to know from him which development partners his Ministry is liaising with.
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Yes, Hon Minister?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Ministry is negotiating with almost all the development partners working with the Ministry but in particular, with the World Bank for the use of available unspent balance from certain programmes. And also with the DFID in respect of a grant made to the Ministry for use in acquiring quality education and literacy among other things. And therefore, our immediate targets are these two development partners; DFID and the World Bank.
Mr. Chaie 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, if you look at the statistics on learner enrolment, from the year 2005 up to the year 2007, you would realise that the Non-Formal Education Division was able to train about 300,000 learners. Now, this reduced to 40,000 in 2009. I want to find out from the
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, there are two issues in this question. First of all, the Minister should take steps to avoid much politicization of the NFED Programme. The other question is urging the Minister to take steps for the facilitators to recover the motorbicycles. This is news to me. I have no information about the seizure of those motorbicycles, so I will check up and take advice from him to ensure that if these motorbicycles are the legitimate properties of these facilitators, they are returned to them.
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Hon Members, shall we move to the next Question which stands in the name of Hon Ernest Attuquaye Armah.
Amasaman Senior High School (Boarding House Facility)
Q. 382. Mr. Ernest Attuquaye Armah asked the Minister for Education when the Ministry would provide the Amasaman Senior High School with a boarding house facility.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, Amasaman Senior High School was established as a day school. A day school could qualify for boarding status after it has met some basic requirements which include the availability of hostel facilities, kitchen, dining hall and adequate toilet facilities and so on in the school provided by local stakeholders. Application for boarding status is then made to the Ghana
a few cases of people being repeated on the list of facilitators and therefore, benefiting from the end of the cycle benefits that are awarded to the facilitators.
So, that phenomenon exists and it is something that we cannot rather decry. It has its advantages because the more you engage the experienced people, the better the output in their delivery.
Prof. Fobih 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, my question is not well answered.
In the very vein that he explained, I just want to find out, that giving say bicycle or sewing machine to a facilitator, overtime, it is going to be monotonous. How many sewing machines can he possess? So, I am asking him, what innovative incentive is he bringing to motivate the facilitators? So I want to know his innovative ideas on this.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:50 a.m.
The NFED programme is luckily and happily a grassroot programme. They are on the ground, so, they are always consulting with the people they engage as partners for the execution of their programmes in whatever means or whatever innovative way the Division can take to make them get the right spirit to do their work.
The project cycle -- the class cycle is 23 months and as I have indicated, the facilitators are awarded one of the items I have listed and therefore, as we go on, if from the researches that the Division is conducting, there are items that would encourage the people or motivate them better, we will take on those items and provide them during the third phase of the programme.
Mr. Dominic B. A. Nitiwul 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Hon Minister talked about
Education Service after which inspection is conducted for a decision to be taken on the request.
Amasaman Senior High School will be considered for upgrading into boarding status if it meets the above requirements. Subsequently, the Ministry will expand the boarding facilities.
Mr. Armah 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, may I ask the Hon Minister what requirements he is making mention of?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the requirements for absorption into the boarding status, I have already indicated. These include the provision by the local stakeholders of a hostel, sanitary facilities, dining hall, kitchen and so on and so forth. If the Hon Member wants to know more about the guidelines for the approval given to day schools to be upgraded to boarding status, I have the information available at the Ministry and he could collect one of the guidelines to guide his community.
Prof. (Emeritus) S. K. Amoako 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to know from the Hon Minister if the criteria for consideration to boarding facility include student population and master-student ratio.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the issue of population and pupil-staff ratio do not come in. It may be considered as a remote kind of consideration. The essential issues are those I have already enumerated, that there must be on the ground the beginning of a boarding school life -- facilities for running a boarding school. A hostel for the number of students who are there, a kitchen to serve them, a dining hall and so on and so forth.
As for the population, it is a matter
that the management of a day school will consider in running hostel facilities for the students for the time being under their care.
Mr. Raymond Tawiah 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I would like to know from the Hon Minister whether the Government does not have any hand at all in putting up boarding facilities for any school.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, Government has a policy. Government has a policy with regard to the approved boarding institutions.
Mr. Daniel Botwe 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, in most cases, the people described in the Hon Minister's Answer are the local stakeholders, where they have this problem with day schools and with limited infrastructure, the income levels are also very low in these areas. Now, why do we still want them to upgrade these structures before Government assesses it as a boarding facility? That is why the Hon Member will just ask the question, can the Hon Minister not go ahead and give them boarding facilities without asking these same poor people to upgrade it before they intervene?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 11:50 a.m.
Government first of all, has plans and the plans are based on the policies. So there is planning done for responsibilities which Government wants to take up and that is why the Ministry through the Ghana Education Service conducts inspection of the existing facilities. This is because Government must have enough resources to spread over to include those day schools established by well meaning stakeholders, change hands and become Government's complete responsibility.
So Government comes in, after Government has examined the position and realizes that for the next three to five
Madam Speaker noon
Hon Member, please.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo noon
Hon Dan Botwe, please. I am sorry, Hon Dan Botwe. He is my son. [Laughter.] So Government comes in at the right time to do the right thing.
Mr. Haruna Bayirga noon
Madam Speaker, I believe this school is a community one and it is the duty of Government to make sure that it extends education to the poor areas in the country. The Hon Minister is talking of government guidelines. Are government guidelines saying that poor communities, if they cannot afford, should not have boarding facilities and they cannot provide them? Is that what the Hon Minister is saying?
Madam Speaker noon
Well, I do not know whether he said that, but let him answer it.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo noon
Madam Speaker, I am not saying that. I am only explaining that Government should take time to assume responsibilities that need government resources. Therefore Government is aware of the absence of school facilities in certain communities and therefore, the Ministry is regularly undertaking what we call school mapping exercise to identify underserved areas in the country and communities that are not properly catered for.
So it is the responsibility of Government. Yes, but things must be planned in order to meet the available resources.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah noon
Madam
Mr. Tettey-Enyo noon
Madam Speaker, the Hon Minister will consider that. [Laughter.] And will also consider the setting up of a committee to look into these matters once again. Government - [Interruptions] -- from time to time, has delved into this matter. So we would do it again.
Madam Speaker noon
One last question. Time is moving.
Prof. Dominic K. Fobih noon
Madam Speaker, in the Hon Minister's Written Answer, Written Answer in particular, he makes reference to the availability of a kitchen, dining hall as some of the requirements for applying to attain a boarding status.
Madam Speaker, I am rather at a loss, because hostel facilities are not official facilities in the school; they are semi- official facilities, in the sense that the school makes these available when it realizes that some students come from some distant places and that they need some decent place to stay, so they acquire them for them. But they provide their own meals, they do their own things. So the school does not provide kitchen for them as a matter of fact.
Rather, in a boarding institution, you have a kitchen facility, because a boarding institution is a home. Then you have a dining hall because they have to have a good place to eat. So it is like putting the cart before the horse in this respect. And I am wondering whether the Hon Minister
constituencies. The projects include the following:
classrooms, libraries, furniture, toilet facilities, textbooks for basic and 2nd cycle institutions, lecture theatres, hostels, and computer rooms for tertiary institutions.
Office complexes for National Accreditation Board (NAB), National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), National Board for Professional and Technician Examinations (NABPTEX) have been built and releases have been made for procurement of various goods and services for some agencies.
The breakdown is as follows:
Madam Speaker noon
Thank you very
much Hon Minister.
Once again, today we have been blessed with two Ministers replying to our invitation to come here and they have always come to answer our Questions.
No Statements, so we move to Public Business and the laying of Papers.
PAPERS noon
Mr. J. T. Akologu noon
Madam Speaker, last Friday, there was supposed to be a winnowing of the amendments, but it could
finds this a proper arrangement for really declaring a school a boarding status when in fact certain conditions probably, may call for the need to acquire such status.
Mr. Tetteh-Enyo noon
Madam Speaker, it is Government policy initiated in the 1990s and used and applied from 2001 to date. The documents are there and they were used, at least, for the past eight years and have come back. I was part of the formulation and I have come back to apply them; they are official policies. If the Hon Member is calling for a review, we would look into that matter; yes, we would look into that matter.
But he should have directly asked for a review. [Laughter.] And not say that there is not any policy like that and that we are putting the cart before the horse.
Madam Speaker noon
Thank you. The last Question. The last Question was posed by the Hon Member for Kade, Mr. Asamoah Ofosu, and he asked for a Written Answer. The Clerk has served him with the Answer and I hereby direct that the Question 329 be printed in the Official Report of today's proceedings.
WRITTEN ANSWERS TO noon
QUESTIONS noon
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION noon
Mr. Tettey-Enyo noon
Madam Speaker, the GETFund has paid a total amount of GH¢170,876,222 to 1,365 contractors since January 2009 for a number of projects executed. In addition, payments amounting to GH¢5,960,280 have been made to 183 Members of Parliament to undertake various projects in their

not take place. I would therefore, request that we defer this item for another date, so that we could take the amendments -- There are so many that we need to really prune down to facilitate business of the House.

Madam Speaker, after this one, the next item will be committees sittings. But before we can take any further action on them, I wish to make this correction. On page 12, there is a notice of Public Accounts Committee sitting today, 9th February. It should have read “Tuesday, 16th February.” We are just giving notice.

I think the Table Office made a mistake. It was originally planned for today, but later due to some circumstances, the date was changed. The Clerk's Table Office was notified, but they kept to the original date and that is why it has appeared.
Madam Speaker 12:10 p.m.
So it is corrected
TABLE HERE 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Akologu noon
Madam Speaker, yes. [Interruption] -- Madam Speaker, with that decision, we have come to the end of the -- [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker noon
Yes, so any plans
for adjournment?
Mr. J. T. Akologu noon
Madam Speaker, the Hon Minority Leader has just notified me about something, but I was holding back because of some discussion. But last Friday, there was a request after the Business Statement was presented for synopsis or the interaction with the Deputy Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). A fact sheet has just been produced by the Hon Minister, and we have made available copies in the pigeon holes of Hon Members for their study before the Deputy Director comes to interact with us next week.
Madam Speaker noon
Yes, all right.
Mr. J. T. Akologu noon
Madam Speaker, with these, we have come to the end of the Business on the Order Paper.
I, therefore, move, that this House do now adjourn till tomorrow at 10.00 in the forenoon.
Madam Speaker, I beg to move.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Madam Speaker, I rise to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT noon