By Dennis Peprah,
GNA
Yamfo, (Ahafo), Feb.
03, GNA – The government has directed the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund)
to undertake massive educational infrastructure projects in all public Senior
High Schools (SHSs) implementing the Free SHS Programme nationwide.
Madam Gifty
Twum-Ampofo, the Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of Technical,
Vocational Education and Training (TVET) who announced this over the weekend
said priority would be placed on SHSs implementing the double track system.
She was speaking at
the inauguration of a 12-unit classroom block constructed for the Yamfo
Anglican Senior High School in the Ahafo Region.
The block furnished
with 600 students desks, was constructed by the GETFund to enable the school to
admit more students in the next academic year.
Mrs. Freda Prempeh,
the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North constituency lobbied for the
project when she visited the school last year.
Mad. Twum-Ampofo
said the Free SHS was progressing in all the implementing public schools, and
that, with the GETFund infrastructural projects, challenges of inadequate
classroom blocks and dormitories would soon be addressed.
She noted that human
resource development remained the most valuable asset for the nation and the
government would leave no stone unturned to make formal and quality education
easily accessible to all.
Mad. Twum-Ampofo
stated with the implementation of the Free SHS, no child must be left behind in
accessing quality education, irrespective of his or her background or location.
She admitted
teachers’ workload had increased due to the implementation of the Free SHS, and
entreated them (teachers) to redouble their efforts while the Ministry of
Education worked out modalities to improve on their condition of service
correspondingly.
She indicated the
MPs’ Common Fund was woefully inadequate in addressing the developmental needs
of a constituency, hence, the need for the electorate in the area to maintain
Mrs. Prempeh in the Election 2020, to enable her to use her excellent lobbying
skills to acquire more support to take the development of the area to the next
level.
Mrs. Prempeh, also
the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection said she had
sought for support and very soon, construction work on a girls dormitory
project for the school would commence.
She said all public
basic and second cycle institutions in the area has somehow benefitted from
educational projects ranging from classroom blocks, teachers quarters, sanitary
facilities, dining halls, kitchen and teaching and learning materials.
Mrs. Prempeh advised
the students to avoid engaging in immoral practices and concentrate seriously
on their studies to be able to progress academically to eventually become
competent professionals to contribute meaningfully to national development in
various capacities.
She said with the
Free SHS Programme, government had placed enormous responsibility on teachers
to nature the students well by ensuring their proper upbringing and development
as well as facilitating their academic progress and success.
The Reverend Canon
Barnabas Kofi Oko, the Headmaster of the School, commended the government and
the MP for the block.
He said the Free SHS
had not only increased enrolment and provided opportunity for all social class
of people to easily access secondary education, but had also relieved parents
of huge economic burden.
Rev. Oko said
students’ population had increased from 273 to 671, and 418 final year students
were preparing to write their exams under the first batch placement of the
programme.
He emphasised the
Free SHS was a laudable programme and must not be politicized, and appealed to
government to cater for teachers’ welfare too.
Rev. Oko further
pleaded with government to provide the school with a 50 seater bus and also
address the challenge of lack ok teachers accommodation facing the school.
GNA