New school uniforms for basic schools

New uniforms are to be introduced for the country’s basic schools effective the next academic year. Consequently, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has been directed to coordinate a wide range of consultations among stakeholders to determine the variety of school uniforms to be introduced. The stakeholders, comprising parents, religious bodies, and district assemblies, will support the service to come up with guidelines on the new uniforms for implementation next academic year.

Minister of Education, Professor Ameyaw Akumfi, was addressing the 30th Speech and Prize Giving Day of the T.I. Ahmadyya Secondary School at Gomoa Potsin in the Central Region. The theme for the day was “the potential of rural schools in national development. According to Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, the issue of changing the current school uniform for basic schools had become controversial. Adding that, “institutions and religious bodies wish to possess one identity or another so that children under their care can be easily identified for good as well as bad deeds.”

Prof Ameyaw Akumfi noted that rural areas and schools possessed the greatest potential to lift the nation from its current level of development to a higher and more desirable one. The Government, he said, was determined to develop rural areas and expand access and opportunities for the helpless majority who lived in such areas and called for the support of all stakeholders in that direction. The Minister commended the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission for its contribution to the development of education.

The headmaster of the school, Mohammed K. Ackom, announced that the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) had started the construction of ?150m semi-detached staff bungalow, which was expected to be completed next year.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, Prof. Jophus Anamoah-Mensah stressed the need to address the negative public attitude to Technical and Vocational Education (TVET). Adding that, the TVET should be seen as important area of study for the development of the country’s economy. He noted that the surest way of improving the nation’s Gross National Product from the current $347 to $1,000 was to place greater emphasis on TVET. He explained that it was in such area of training that a lot of ingenuity, creativity and problem solving were shown.