Teachers Veer Into Charcoal Business for Survival

Teachers Veer Into Charcoal Business

A GREATER SECTION of teachers (names withheld) in the Sissala West and East Districts of the Upper West Region have abandoned their posts and gone into charcoal business.

The charcoal business is reportedly the most lucrative business in the districts, forcing the teachers to desert their teaching profession to the detriment of students in the Assemblies.

Not only have their actions contributed to the poor performance of the students in the districts, but also to the environment.

They are engaged in chainsaw operations, with economic tress like the shea and dadawawa, being their main target for the charcoal business.

Their produce is always sent to the southern part of the country, where they are traded for good returns.

Parents in the Sissala West District have complained about this development but it appears their concerns have fallen on death ears.

A source who spoke to The Chronicle on condition of anonymity said the district scored 18 percent in the 2011 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and managed to improve upon it by 10 percent in 2012.

Sissala East on the other hand, scored 48 percent in the 2011 BECE. Communities in the two districts bearing the brunt of the teachers' actions include; Gbal, Jefiffi, Zini, Chingehang, Dimajan 1 & 2, Navariwie, Dagni and Nankpebie.

The worried residents of Gwollu expressed concerns of women in the area who are complaining of low yield of shea nut during harvest and appealed to stakeholders to help address the problem.

The Paramount Chief of Gwollu, Kuoro Buktie Liman IV, has also raised concerns over charcoal burning in the area and called on Chiefs, assembly members, religious leaders and all stakeholders to help put a stop to the act.

He condemned the carting of charcoal to the southern part of Ghana at the expense of their vegetation and called on the district assembly to take measures including enacting by-laws to curb the menace.