General News of Sunday, 2 July 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-07-02
Professor Yankah
The Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education has expressed great displeasure at the incident where the quiz mistress of the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) competition had her handbag stolen at the climax of the competition.
Professor Kwasi Yankah lamented how the incident has not only robbed the NMSQ of its value and essence but has also undermined the dignity of education in the country.
Addressing the 10th congregation of the St Francis College of Education in Hohoe in the Volta Region, Prof. Yankah said, “the shameful thief has also awakened us all the crucial need in Ghana toady, for holistic education both inside and outside the classroom”.
He added “that is why the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government has sought to instill in students the virtues of education both inside and outside the classroom” where the teacher, the parents, religious bodies and communities would have roles to play.
He, however, placed a ransom on the head of the ‘bag thief’ and urged anybody who has information of the missing bag to report to the Ministry of Education.
Prof Kwasi Yankah also lamented that the diverse challenges embattling education in Africa depicts misplaced priorities and “completely devalued education since independence, forgetting the pivotal role education plays in national development”.
He noted that the phenomenon where some children could not access education due to poverty is a factor in the New Patriotic Party government’s quest to redefine basic education and include high school education.
Prof Yankah added that the implementation of the free Senior High School policy would ensure all children have an equal access to quality education notwithstanding their background.
Nevertheless, he urged the new qualified teachers to be ethical, committed and self motivated to enable them transfer same values to the pupils to restore morality and self discipline.
The Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Maxwell Blagogee, noted that government aims to achieve its target of training 7000 teachers annually hence the introduction of several interventions including an affordable housing scheme for teachers and the restoration of teachers’ allowance.
The Principal for St Francis College of Education, Mr Raphael Kwadzo Kwashie, expressed grief at the spate at which people are encroaching on the school’s land and appealed to government to intervene to secure the land.
He also appealed for new staff bungalows, dormitories and dinning hall to be constructed for the school and as well a bus provided for the transportation of students and staff for field works.
470 students were graduated out of which only 9 had first class, 150 and 229 had second class upper and lower respectively. 77 obtained third class and 5 had pass.
