Deprived areas will get more SHS - Prez Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama said on Tuesday that the next tenure of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) which comes into effect from January 2013 would concentrate on the construction of more Senior High Schools in deprived areas of the country.

He said that would ease the pressure that had bedeviled the existing number of schools in the urban areas over the years .

President Mahama announced this when he addressed a gathering at Adabokrom in the Bia West district of the Western Region as part of his five-day campaign tour of the region.

The President also addressed similar rallies at Debiso, Bia, and Sefwi-Asawinso among other communities in the Bia East and West Constituencies with the residents, old and young, pouring out in the hundreds to interact with him.

President Mahama outlined measures to ensure that the SHS in deprived communities are well catered for to attracted resourceful teachers, saying that “teachers would be adequately motivated to take up postings and responsibility in the rural and deprived areas of the country”.

He said over 20,000 families of teachers would be provided with housing facilities that would be constructed, while more classroom facilities would also be expanded to admit more students in the schools.

President Mahama said most of the students in the rural areas had not been able to pursue their education on account of distance and the limited facilities in those schools and therefore, the expansion of such facilities would open opportunities for students.

He pleaded with parents to take advantage of the innovation to send their children to benefit from second cycle education.

Most Communities along the route who were originally not on the President's stop schedule, usually upon hearing of his presence in the area, ambushed the convoy, forcing the campaign team to stop to address party supporters, chiefs and people.

The people and chiefs of the Western Region have, throughout the tour, applauded the NDC under late President John Evans Atta Mills and its current leader President Mahama for the tremendous development projects initiated in the region.