Education Director Exposes Absenteeism Crisis Tied to Galamsey in Tarkwa Nsuaem

Mrs. Catherine Biney, the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Director of Education, has issued an urgent plea to parents, chiefs, and the entire community after revealing that too many children are simply not showing up for class.

“Our major challenge is absenteeism. They are not coming to school,” Mrs. Biney disclosed during an exclusive interview with Space News on the sidelines of the Reading Ghana Western Programme.

Where does the blame lie? According to the director, much of it points directly to one familiar culprit: illegal small-scale mining, better known as galamsey.

“We all know that in communities where galamsey is highly operated, this happens,” she explained. “And at times, it comes down to parenting. Some parents leave their children on their own. Instead of monitoring them, making sure they go to school and do their activities as expected, they leave them and also go seeking their own economic activities.”

The result is a municipality where empty desks have become far too common, and children are left unsupervised, sometimes wandering into the very mining pits that should have nothing to do with their young lives.

A Plea From the Heart

Mrs. Biney was careful not to place blame without offering a solution. Her message to parents was passionate and direct.

“We all know what education does. It doesn’t equip only the learner. The community also benefits, and Ghana as a whole,” she said. “So we are pleading that parents should have time and be conscious of their wards’ education. They should ask them to go to school, and when they go, they shouldn’t leave. They should stay on till the end of the school day.”

Fighting Back—With Chiefs on Their Side

The director made it clear that her office is not sitting idle.

“Our major concern is absenteeism, and we are fighting,” she declared.

And they are not fighting alone. Traditional rulers the Nananom have joined the battle against truancy within the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.

“Nananom is also supporting us to fight this kind of attitude in our communities,” Mrs. Biney added, a note of gratitude in her voice.

The Reading Ghana Western Programme, where the interview took place, is part of a broader push to reignite a love for learning. But as Mrs. Biney knows well, no reading program can reach a child who never walks through the school gate.

The Bottom Line

For the families of Tarkwa Nsuaem, the choice is stark: short-term gold or a child’s lifelong future.

“Don’t let your child wander,” the director pleaded. “Don’t let them stay home. Send them to school, and make sure they remain there until closing time.”

With leaders like Mrs. Catherine Biney and the backing of the municipality’s chiefs, there is hope that the sound of school bells will one day grow louder than the clatter of illegal mining. But as she herself admitted, the battle will only be won when every parent decides that education is the real treasure.

Source: Nana Esi Brew Monney