By Kodjo Adams
Aburi (E/R), June 10, GNA – The Ministry of Education will hold a stakeholder conference in July to address rising indiscipline in second-cycle schools.
The conference, expected to take place in Kumasi or Sunyani, will bring together educationists, academics, religious bodies and non-governmental organisations to identify lasting solutions.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, announced this on Wednesday during a monitoring visit to centres writing the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the Eastern Region.
Accompanied by officials of the Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES), he visited Aburi Girls’ Senior High School (SHS) and Adonten SHS at Aburi.
Mr Iddrisu said parenting remained a shared responsibility and urged parents to play a more active role in nurturing their children.
“Unfortunately some parents are losing their responsibilities; the advent of social media has changed the situation, and parents must play an active role to stem this behavior,” he said.
The Minister encouraged candidates to remain calm and uphold integrity throughout the examination period by avoiding malpractice.
“So far we have not witnessed any major setbacks in the exams; we hope you will continue with the feat and ensure smooth exams,” he said.
Addressing students of Aburi Girls’ SHS, Mr Iddrisu urged them to work hard to sustain the school’s reputation for academic excellence.
He said work had commenced on the school’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Learning Centre and assured management that the facility would be completed and commissioned soon.
The Ministee said Government would also construct a multi-purpose dormitory and assembly hall for the school and provide furniture through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
He said Government continued to invest in educational infrastructure nationwide to improve teaching and learning conditions and meet increasing enrolment demands.
“Thankfully we have not witnessed a shortage of food in schools; we have allocated Ghc 4 billion to take care of feeding, working with GETFund and the buffer stock to ensure there is food available for all the schools,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu said the World Bank would engage Government on funding support for expanded educational infrastructure to help improve the delivery of quality education.
He announced plans to upgrade 30 Category C schools to Category B and 20 Category B schools to Category A through sustained investment in infrastructure, laboratories and teaching and learning materials.
Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, Director-General of GES, expressed satisfaction with the preparedness of candidates and wished them success in the examinations.
Mrs Wilhelmina Obuobisa-Atakora, Headmistress of Aburi Girls’ SHS, thanked the delegation for the visit and pledged to sustain the school’s academic achievements.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Kodjo Adams [email protected]