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EC begs GES to release teachers for registration exercise else...

By Staff 23/02/2012 00:25:00

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The Electoral Commission will be looking elsewhere for biometric registration officers if it fails to convince the Ghana Education Service to release teachers for the registration exercise which begins next month.

According to the GES, it is unable to release teachers for the exercise due to its residual disruption of the academic calendar.

The GES further directed that teachers employed by the service will, henceforth meet some requirements if they intend to engage in non-academic activities during vacation.

Acting Public Relations Officer of the Electoral Commission, Christian Owusu Parry told Joy News’ Seth Kwame Boateng the Commission might just recruit and train National Service personnel as well as Higher National Diploma holders for the exercise if the GES fails to rescind its decision.

The Commission will however attempt a last gasp petition to the Service to release, if not all, some of the experienced teachers needed for a successful implementation of the biometric registration exercise.

“They (teachers) have worked for sometime and have acquired some experience and so it is more convenient to use the teachers,” Owusu Parry noted.

“…If the education service stands its grounds and decides not to allow the teachers to be part of the exercise then obviously we would have to look elsewhere.

“I believe there are a lot of national service personnel around and again we have several HND holders in various communities and people…We will try and spread our nets and bring in a lot of such people.

“What is good about the Commission is that each time we engage people we train and retrain them before we deploy them onto the field,” he added.

Meanwhile, teachers are divided on the decision taken by the GES. Whilst majority have kicked against the action by the GES others believe its in the best interest of students.

Meanwhile the Electoral Commission has released the list of district where the pilot Biometric registration exercise will take place this weekend.

Christian Owusu Parry says it is intended to identify potential lapses for redress before the main exercise begins on March 24.

He told Joy News names captured during the period will not be used for the main elections.

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