The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says the rehabilitation of existing schools and the construction of new ones are continuing across the country, all with the purpose of strengthening the delivery of quality, basic education.
Speaking at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Lawra Senior High School, on Saturday, 10th November, 2018, President Akufo-Addo noted that with ingenuity and innovation, his Government, through the Ghana Education Trust Fund, has secured a $1.5 billion facility to help develop infrastructure in schools in the country.
“Once parliamentary approval is obtained, the first tranche of this facility will be used to build more classroom blocks and dormitories in our schools to give our schools appropriate facilities to meet the demands of the 21st century,” the President said.
President Akufo-Addo assured that Government would continue to support Lawra SHS and all other senior high schools across the country, to deliver quality education.
Touching on the challenges of the school, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering of his directive to the Upper West Regional Security Council to liaise with the District Security Committee, the Lawra Traditional Council and the land owners to address the issue of the boundaries of Lawra SHS, paving the way for the completion of the school’s wall.
“On the occasion of the school’s 50th Anniversary, I want to announce that I have set in motion procurement processes, under the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), for the construction of a new Assembly Hall Complex for Lawra Senior High School to mark this event,” he added.
To Naa Puowele Karbo III, Paramount Chief of the Lawra Traditional Area, the President indicated that Brifo Senior High School, which falls under his jurisdiction, is being converted into a Model School, with the construction of dormitories, a library, an administration block, a science laboratory and a dining hall.
“Again, Lawra has been chosen as one of the twenty (20) locations for the establishment of state-of-the-art Technical, Vocational and Education Training (TVET) centres in the country. And, finally, in fulfillment of my campaign pledge to complete projects initiated by the predecessor government, I am happy to announce that Government is in the process of completing the Boo-Dowine SHS block,” he added.
Re-emphasizing the importance of education to the development of the nation, he indicated that against the odds and against the wishes of the naysayers and political ‘Jeremiahs’, Government introduced the Free Senior High School policy in September last year.
“In 2017, the first year of its implementation, ninety thousand (90,000) more students gained access into Senior High School than in 2016. In 2018, one hundred and eighty thousand (180,000) more students have been admitted into Senior High School,” the President said.
e continued, “Let us pause for a moment to consider what would have happened to the two hundred and seventy thousand (270,000) more students, who have entered Senior High School between 2017 and 2018, without this policy in place.”
Government, President Akufo-Addo noted, is aware of the teething challenges confronting the Free SHS policy, and has addressed substantially many of them.
“If it has taken the introduction of Free SHS to encourage some of the media and other commentators, and, recently, members of the opposition, who were in power for most of this decade, to find and, at times, exaggerate the problems that bedevil our schools, I simply take it as one more reason to cheer the Free SHS,” he added.
Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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The children are just passing through. How can students use 41 days to do any serious learning? Parents are back to square one now negotiating with teachers to take their children through lessons. Wasted time!
The loan facility of $1.5bn is to help develop infrastructure in schools in the country. Please building infrastructure is not a recurrent expenditure.
Lawsco dreams come true. The 1st Present of Ghana to ever visit Lawsco since its foundation was laid by the respected Alhaji Rahim Gbadamoshi in 1968. President Akufo Addo, you are a shocker. You made us the past students of Lawsec too proud. In fact instead of laughter, it was rather tears - tears of joy. That after 50 years, our sons and daughters can now afford to sit in an Assembly Hall Complex for the 1st time? We shall ever be grateful to President Akufo Addo and live to one day say: "GREAT THINGS HAPPENED" in Lawsec when you were the president of Ghana. Mr. President, God bless you.
Mr President, please I beg to differ. As progressive nation, you cannot binary in your thinking. Development and developing is not a matter of playing to the gallery. Free education was provided for in the 1992 constitution. The constitution is supreme to an act. The constitution anticipate for a periodic reviews depending on the exigencies of the time needs and aspirations of the people of Ghana. Mr President do not assumed the position of knowing better than future President. Even segments of the constitution can be reviewed, where is the 350 SHS you promised to build. Securing 1.5 billion for Free SHS is not enough. Can u point to Ghanaians capital investment you have made. Securing 1.5 billion to spend on recurrent expenditure. Creating fantom positions such as Director, Deputy Directors of ministry of education just to give jobs to cronies. Creating fantom directors, deputy directors in all State own enterprises, Ghana water, Electricity company, VRA. Mr President, your shambolic and incoherent administration of the education sector is a reflection of non piloted concept of double track, gold track, green track, confusion at Knust, Winneb.UWC.Gefund facility right. Mr President you mean getfunfd put together by incompetent NDC government.
He continued, “Let us pause for a moment to consider what would have happened to the two hundred and seventy thousand (270,000) more students, who have entered Senior High School between 2017 and 2018, without this policy in place.” President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Esq. You shall proceed forth boldly, firmly, resolutely, with great focus, energy, determination and momentum. FORWARD!!!