Minister urges stakeholders to support deprived schools

Cape Coast, Nov. 19, GNA-Nana Ato Arthur, Central Regional Minister on Saturday stated that deprived schools when given the necessary support and assistance could also become well-endowed. He, in this regard, called on all stakeholders in education to assist and provide the needed support to such deprived schools to enable them transform into special or 91A' schools.

Nana Arthur made these remarks, in an address read for him, at the 30th anniversary celebration of University of Cape Coast (UCC) Practice Senior Secondary School, popularly known as University Practice Secondary School (UPSS), at Cape Coast.

The anniversary celebration, which was under the theme, 93access to quality education, the role of UPSS=94 was attended by people of all walks of life, including traditional rulers, UCC Professors, politicians, past students of the school and the general public. The Regional Minister, who was the guest speaker, stated that government, as a stakeholder has through the GETFUND tried to bridge the gap between the well-endowed schools and the deprived ones in the country.

He explained that currently, UPSS, which is also a deprived school, has been provided with all the requisite textbooks, a modern science complex and a girls hostel, adding that, all subject areas in the school have permanent teachers to facilitate smooth academic work. Nana Arthur said, to complement government's effort in the transformation process of these less endowed schools, parents and guardians have a tremendous role to play by paying their wards' fees, ensuring that the students lived upright lives devoid of moral decadence and inculcating into them good habits to enable them to become responsible citizens.

He urged the business sector to be more involved in changing these schools into well-endowed ones because without quality training and skills attained in education, there would be no qualified manpower to promote the growth of the business sector. The Regional Minister commended the headmistress, the teaching and non-teaching staff of the school and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) as well as past students whose efforts have contributed significantly to the continued rise in the fortunes of UPSS.

Ms Susana Lokko, headmistress of UPSS said the school has witnessed a lot of improvement in the academic performance of its students over the past years and that apart from two students who were absent in the 2005 senior secondary school certificate examinations all the 213 candidates who took part in the examinations passed in between eight and three subjects.

According to her, 114 out of the number passed in eight subjects, 49 in seven subjects, 28 in six, 17 in five, one in four and two in three subjects, and that 100 percent passes were scored in 14 subject areas, a feat she described as a remarkable improvement over the 2004 results.

She commended both the teaching and the non teaching staff for their dedication and commitment to duty which had impacted positively on the academic performance of the students and urged them to keep it up. Ms Lokko appealed to the government to provide the school with a means of transport and that apart from one old Bedford truck and a Benz bus donated by the PTA six years ago which visited the mechanic shop almost every week, UPSS as a day-school was beset with a serious transportation problem.

Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, Omanhen of Oguaa traditional area, in a goodwill message, advised the students to eschew indiscipline, be law-abiding and be serious with their studies to enable them to achieve success in their academic pursuits.

The Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng, Vice-Chancellor of UCC, also in a goodwill message, described the school as an important component of the University and reiterated that UCC would protect its lands at all costs against encroachment, so as to help UPSS expand its infrastructure in future

He congratulated the headmistress and staff as well as the students on the occasion of its 30th anniversary and commended them for their hard work and dedication, which had enabled them to chalk success in their academic work.

Master Moses Aikins, the school's head prefect, said the academic year has been very challenging due to the strike action of the members of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), which he said impacted negatively on academic work.

According to him, the senior students as a way of ensuring that academic work continued taught the junior students during the period of the strike action, and commended the students of UCC who also visited the school frequently to teach them.

Professor Lawrence Owusu-Ansah, Vice-Dean, Faculty of Arts of UCC, who presided, explained that it was people, who changed deprived schools into well-endowed ones, and that 93with the right support, right assistance and discipline any school could rise high=94. Prizes were awarded to deserving students and staff.