Student absenteeism soars due to Galamsey - NAGRAT president

Accra, Ghana - The scourge of illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, is crippling education in affected communities. Student absenteeism has skyrocketed, disrupting teaching and learning, according to Angel Carbonu, President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT).

According to NAGRAT President Angel Carbonu who spoke on Citi FM, students from galamsey-endemic areas are frequently absent from school, severely affecting teaching and learning. 

“Students are not even regular in schools in mining communities because they see that engaging in galamsey brings them immediate money than they can ever dream of as students and this is affecting teaching and learning in the schools," he stated.

Stressing on the challenges encountered in the fight against the galamsey menace, Mr. Carbonu indicated that “the beneficiaries of this illegal mining are the political persons who have the means to purchase machines to employ the youth to engage in the destruction of our environment,” which he said makes it hard to win.

To address this issue, Carbonu is calling for an immediate ban on small-scale mining and suspension of gold prospecting licenses in water bodies and forest reserves.

He believes these measures are necessary to rescue education in communities ravaged by galamsey. 

“When you find yourself in crisis, you take measures to stop the bleeding so you ban all small-scale mining activities nationwide. Call for the withdrawal of all machinery from the bushes, forests, and rural areas.

“Identify persons engaged in this illegality and punish them according to law. Stop immediately, the issuance of licenses for the prospecting of gold or whatever it is and also for mining in this country," he added.

Source: Lead News Online