By Dennis Peprah
Odumase Number One, (B/R), Aug. 30, GNA – Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, has performed a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a 12-unit classroom block, for the Sunyani Seventh Day Adventist Senior High School.
The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) is supporting the Midwest Ghana Conference (MWGC) of the SDA Church to construct the two-storey building, at the cost of more than GHC2 million, which is expected to be completed within eight months.
The facility, when completed, would pave the way for the Conference to relocate the SHS from its current site, near the Sunyani SDA Hospital to Odumase in the Sunyani West Municipality.
Madam Owusu-Banahene said though the country was going through a serious economic crisis, the government was committed to improving educational infrastructure so more students to benefit from its flagship Free Senior High School and TVET programmes.
She emphasised that education remained the surest legacy the nation could bequeath to the younger generation, saying with improved educational infrastructure, many students could access SHS education and develop their potential.
Madam Owusu-Banahene lauded the immeasurable contributions of the SDA church towards the development of the region, and the nation generally, saying the government indeed appreciated the church’s efforts towards improved education and health.
The Regional Minister also praised the SDA for its values, and, therefore, asked the church to continue to help instil discipline and moral uprightness among the youth in the country, saying the growing trends of moral decadence among the younger generation required collective and concerted approach to tackle.
Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Member of Parliament for Sunyani West and the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, commended the Odumase Number One Traditional Council for releasing the land for the school project.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the church towards promoting health and education and commended the management and health workers of the Sunyani SDA Hospital for their selfless services which had improved the image of the Hospital.
Mr Baffour-Awuah advised parents and guardians in the area to prioritise and invest much of their resources in the education of their children and wards to secure a better future for them.
Pastor Maxwell Obour Boateng Awuah, the President of the MWGC, explained the Penkwasi District of the church bought the land for the project and commended it for its foresight.
Besides the spiritual upbringing and development, he said the Conference was also determined to improve the general well-being of the people and called on the government to support the school to expand its infrastructure.
Pastor Awuah said the Ministry of Education had already inspected the school’s site and called on the government to facilitate the process of elevating the school to a boarding status to improve the academic performance of students.
Osabarima Kwabena Ababio, the Krontihene (Sub-Chief) of Odumase Number One Traditional Area, who presided over the event, expressed appreciation to the government for the Free SHS, saying the implementation of the programme had made it accessible for many students in the area to acquire secondary education.
GNA