By Ewoenam Kpodo
Hatsukope (V/R), July 24, GNA – St. Paul’s Senior High School and Minor Seminary (SPACO) Old Students Association (SPOSA) has launched an endowment fund, SPACOFund aimed at transforming the school into a Category A school.
The Fund was launched Saturday during a durbar of SPACO stakeholders to climax the 65th anniversary, speech, and prize giving day celebration of the school under the theme, “Improving Access and Quality Senior High Education: The Role of Stakeholders.”
The launch saw individuals and institutions including Mr Larry Kwesi Jiagge pledge GH¢20,000.00; Mr G
Aflao Traditional Council, GH¢10,000.00 and the Ministry of Education, GH¢2,000.00 as seed money for the Fund.
Mr Joshua Sosu, SPOSA President in a speech said the old student (known as Conquerors) were not just proud alumni but also passionate advocates for the progress of SPACO hence, the launch of SPACOFund to address the funding challenges in the school to ensure its continued growth and prosperity for generations to come.
He said the Fund would be used to execute programmes and activities captured under a strategic plan, SPACO Transformation Agenda which aimed to catapult the school from its current position of Category C to Category A in the distant-near future.
“The Goals for Agenda One, 2024-2027 include to ensure security for life and property, food security and environmental sustainability for healthy living within the SPACO community and its environs, ensure availability and regular flow of adequate resources, ensure adequate and reliable physical infrastructure and facilities.
“Ensure robust management capacity; structures, systems, processes, procedures, and mechanisms and ensure availability of requisite/desirable students and staff. Torgbui Chairman, with these goals our target is to become Category A school.”
Mr Sosu added that, “The Agenda document will be developed through a thorough consultative process with all stakeholders and will be ready for launching on the next St Paul’s Day-January 2024” and assured members and benefactors of SPOSA and SPACO of a greater future for the Association and the School.
Prof Yayra Yao Dzakadzie, the Director in-charge of Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education and a Conqueror in his keynote address said undoubtedly, Ghana’s quest to develop and remain truly independent and progress exponentially, depended on quality education which could only be possible when the various stakeholders in education work together to address challenges in the sector.
He said it was the responsibility of not just governments but educational institutions, communities, alumni, and individuals to play pivotal roles to improve access and quality senior high education towards achieving the country’s inclusive and equitable quality education and, promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all as prescribed under the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Prof Dzakadzie noted that government and the relevant education bodies had been committing resources to providing education infrastructure and policies including the Free Senior High School policy and called on parents to take advantage of such policies to educate their children to build the country’s human resource base saying, “I get surprised when I hear that some parents deny their children the opportunity to access senior high school education at a time when education has been made free for all.”
GNA