Lack of facilities affect students performance - Prof Andam

Gomoa Potsin (C/R), Nov 18, GNA - Lack of facilities have an adverse effect on the performance of students in the less endowed schools, Professor Kwesi Andam, former Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has stated.

He noted that students of less endowed schools could therefore not compete with other students in major public examinations, which determined admission to universities and other tertiary institutions. Prof Andam made these observations at the 35th Anniversary Speech and Prize-Giving Day of the T I Ahmadiyya Senior High School at Gomoa Potsin in the Central Region at the weekend. "It is the responsibility of all Ghanaians to care for those of our people who live in the rural areas and therefore do not benefit, form basic amenities in life," he said.

He stated that failure to do this was leading to a class system where some people were very rich and the majority very poor to the extent that they found it difficult provide "two square meals a day". The former Vice Chancellor stressed that as education affects the destiny of the nation, the 60 percent rural poor would not be able to escape from "abysmal poverty".

Prof Andam suggested that the government should make a policy to ensure that at least one less endowed school would be provided facilities such as dormitories, teachers' bungalows, science laboratories, equipment and classrooms every year.

He observed that since independence there had been five major education reforms namely, the Education Act of 1961, the Education Committee Report of 1973 popularly known as the Dzobo Report, the New Educational System of 1987, the FCUBE of 1996 and the 2007 Educational Reform, but the quality of education continued to deteriorate. More pupils drop out of school and less than 3 percent of all primary school leavers made it to the tertiary level, he said. Mr K T Hammond, Deputy Minister of Interior, expressed concern about the growing indiscipline in the school and pledged 200 bags of cement and roofing sheets to complete classroom blocks and teachers' bungalows under construction and the supply of a separate electricity transformer. He appealed to the authorities of the school to do all that they could to encourage the students to concentrate on their studies to enable them to become good future leaders to serve various sectors of the economy.

Mr Mohammed Ackonu, Headmaster of the school out of 346 candidates presented for the final examination in 2007, 256 passed in six to eight subjects, adding that the school recorded 99.1 percent with the best student getting aggregate nine.

He appealed for the expansion of infrastructure in the school, since it was the only government assisted school in the newly created Gomoa East District. Maulvi A. Wahab Adam, Ameer and Missionary in-charge of Amhadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, promised continuous support from the Mission to ensure quality education. He commended the PTA and authorities for their cooperation and unity that had brought improvement to the School.