Colonial education system did not favour Islamic community - Director

New Dormaa (B/A), Oct. 20, GNA - Mrs Akua Debrah, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Education, on Monday noted that the colonial educational system greatly contributed to the current low standard of education in the country's Islamic community.

"The British colonial government tailored the educational policies to favour, in majority cases, Christian communities with special reference to the English-speaking orthodox churches, without catering for those in the Islamic religion".

Mrs Debrah was speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of the office accommodation of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Islamic Educational Unit at New Dormaa, near Sunyani.

She advised parents and guardians in the Islamic community to make use of the good educational reforms, which make learning and teaching convenient enough "for our brothers and sisters of the Muslim sect".

She reiterated that the Government had made it a mandatory for every district assembly to sponsor through scholarship 1,000 brilliant but needy schoolgirls to enable them to continue their education. "Going by this policy, it stands to reason that the Government's Poverty Alleviation policy is mostly favouring parents with children in school, hence, the need for parents to send their children, especially the girl-child to school".

Mrs. Debrah expressed gratitude to the chief and elders of New Dormaa for releasing the plot of land for the construction of the office accommodation and appealed to the people to offer assistance in cash, in kind or through communal labour to speed up work.