Abubakari Ibrahim Wangara, GNA
Lawra, (UWR), Oct 19,
GNA – Upper West Regional Minister Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan has urged young
people to see education as a priority, since it remains a potent weapon for
economic transformation and speedy development of every society.
“There is no society
that can advance and be able to cope with the dictates of global trends without
paying attention to its culture and education,” he said: “Culture and education
are bed fellows in our contemporary world”.
Alhaji Alhassan who
stepped in for the First Lady Mrs Rebcca Akuffo-Addo during the celebration of
the 42nd Kobine Festival of the people and chiefs of Lawra, said Government had
instituted pragmatic education policies and programmes to tackle challenges in
the sector.
The government was
poised to address the country’s physical infrastructure deficit in the
education sector through construction and maintenance of classroom blocks as
well as providing furniture and other logistics to schools.
The Minister said steps were being taken not
to compromise the quality of education with the introduction of the free Senior
High School (SHS) policy that tackled the accessibility challenge.
The Government
introduced a Double Track System early this year to contain over enrolment,
following the introduction of the free education policy in senior high schools
in 2017.
Alhaji Alhassan said Ghana School Feeding
Programme was receiving much attention than before with school enrolment in
Lawra Municipal growing by 14,457 and covering almost all Primary and
Kindergarten (KG) schools in the Municipality.
Naa Puowele Karbo III,
the Paramount Chief of Lawra Traditional Area, said quality education was the
hallmark for human resource development in every community as well as a vehicle
for achieving knowledge and skill development.
He expressed worry
over falling standards of education in Lawra Municipality, saying: “The
declining standard of education in our Municipality over the years has been a
major concern to our development, which needs to be tackled hands on”.
He was also unhappy
about the apparent neglect of parental responsibilities towards education of
children as well as lukewarm attitudes of some chiefs and community leaders to
school management within their jurisdictions.
Naa Karbo III called
on stakeholders to play their roles to support government’s pursuing of its
pro-poor educational policies to ensure that no child was denied the benefit of
education in Ghana.
“Let me state without
any hesitation that we the Chiefs and people of the Lawra Traditional Area are
encouraged and impressed by the bold and visionary policies and initiatives
government has taken so far towards the development of the country,” he said.
GNA