Govt is committed to teachers' welfare - Hackman

Koforidua, Nov. 19, GNA - The Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, has reiterated the government's commitment to improve service conditions of all teachers in the country. He urged teachers not to relent in their efforts but continue to give off their best to improvement the quality of education in the country.

Addressing the 40th anniversary durbar of Madonna School, a Catholic institution in the New Juaben Municipality, Mr Owusu-Gyeman said the government was concerned about the current agitations of teachers and would address the problem appropriately. He mentioned the rehabilitation of educational facilities and the upgrading of a deprived secondary school in every district, as some of the measures being taken by government to improve the human resource base.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman said despite the huge allotments in the national budget for the education sector, there were still inadequate infrastructure for effective teaching and learning, and called for private sector support.

He commended the Catholic Church for its vision in setting up the Madonna School, which had become one of the best schools in the area. In a speech read for him, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah, called on students to desist from indecent behaviour and rather concentrate on their studies.

He said the investments being made by the government and private sector in the education sector were all moves to build a solid foundation for the future.

The Headmistress of the school, Sister Lilia, said the school had received the presidential award for excellence performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) four times.

She said the school had also won almost all quizzes, essays and other competitions of educational value in the Eastern Region. Sister Lilia commended the Old Students Association for immensely supporting to the school.

A one-billion-cedi computer centre solely funded by the Parent/Teachers Association of the school was inaugurated as part of the durbar.

Pupils who excelled in their examinations and teachers who had served between 20 and 39 years were presented with special prizes.