By Dorothy Frances Ward
Kumasi, Nov. 11, GNA – Madam Patricia Appiagyei, the Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, says the government prioritises education hence the huge investment it has made in the sector to increase access and improve quality.
She said that would equip the youth with the requisite skills and expertise to remain relevant in the technological world.
The free senior high school policy and provision of infrastructure to strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), were deliberate policies by the Government to provide skills development for the youth, she said.
Madam Appiagyei was speaking at the 78th Anniversary and Speech and Prize Giving Day of the St. Monica’s Senior High School at Asante Mampong, hosted by the 1964, 1974, 1984, 1994,2004, and 2014 year groups (the Squads).
It was on the theme: “A Healthy Mind Lives in a Healthy Body.”
Madam Appiagyei said the Government wanted children from rich and poor families to have equal opportunities in education.
She called on parents and Ghanaians in general to join hands with the Government to sustain the great achievements made in education, adding that holistic education was crucial in fostering development.
She said education was the ‘foundation where characters were built and academic successes were achieved while the physical well-being of the child also became a priority.
She praised the management and staff of the school for their hard work, which had made St. Monica’s SHS a Grade ‘A’ school and advised the students to take advantage of the opportunities to reach higher heights.
She called on the alumni to continue to be a source of pride for the country by helping to advance development through hard work.
Dr Cynthia Asamoah Gyimah, the Headmistress of the school, said it had the vision of becoming a centre of moral and academic excellence with discipline as its hallmark.
The school scored 97 per cent in the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) due to the dedication of staff, she said and lauded the old students for their immense contributions towards its development.
Nana Diasempa Obugyei, Kronthene of Ejura, said the school had produced virtuous women making a greater impact on society, touching on the cultural values and discipline it had instilled in them.
He called on stakeholders and the Government to help provide a
modern assembly hall and a minibus for the school.
Dr Phyllis Tawiah of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) advised the students to avoid early and unprotected sex to avoid contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Prices were awarded to outstanding students.
Meanwhile, the old students have provided an ultra-modern kitchen called the ‘Steamer Project’, a Visual Arts Department as well as a STEM Department with modern equipment to the school.
Madam Akosua Frema Opare, the Chief of Staff, and an Old Student of St. Monica’s, unveiled the projects and cut the sod for the construction of an ICT and Library centre.
She pledged the commitment of the old students to improve infrastructure in the school and called on Ghanaians to guard the Free SHS policy to sustain it for future generations.
GNA