VRA would continue to support and maintain its schools

Akosombo(E/R), July 20, GNA-The New Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority(VRA), Ing. Owura Kwaku Sarfo has given an assurance that, despite the re-structuring of the Authority, it would ensure that the VRA school system survived and its quality were maintained. He however charged the school administration to come out with ideas to increase the school's revenue base, improve cost saving and debt recovery and reduce wastage in order to facilitate the sustainability of the schools.

Ing Sarfo was speaking at the 36th Speech and prize giving day of the Akosombo International School (AIS) at Akosombo in the Eastern Region at the week-end.

The Day was organized under the theme "societal values and the youth-the role of stakeholders."

He announced the approval of VRA to provide a new bus to the school and gave further assurance that Authority was ready to support the construction of a new girls' bungalow for the school. Ing Sarfo personally pledged the donation of 100 bags of cement towards the project.

The Deputy Director General of Ghana Education Service (GES), Ms Benedicta Naana Biney observed that though historically schools had the responsibility for academic and character development, the sheer number of areas to be addressed in the curriculum currently seemed overwhelming.

She therefore encouraged schools to adopt programmes that would focus on the broader goal of promoting overall positive development of the youth by instilling in them values like honesty, tolerance love patriotism, justice and fairness. Ms Biney said such societal values would ensure the reduction of the youth in negative behaviours and help them to develop positive personal and societal attitudes and skills that would help them to lead satisfying and productive lives.

The headmaster of the Senior High School (SHS), Mr John K. Tawiah said the school now has an enrolment of 798 as at April this year for both SHS and the Junior High School (JHS) department out of which 576 are in the boarding house. He said at the 2007 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), out of the 89 candidates presented by the school, 31 obtained aggregate six, ten obtain aggregate seven, seven obtained aggregate eight, and 11 obtained aggregate nine with the lowest candidate obtaining aggregate 18. Mr Tawiah said 67 per cent of the candidates obtained distinction as against 39 per cent in 2006 and 49 per cent in 2005. He advised parents against the continuous provision of mobile phones, sewing of un-prescribed and oversized school uniforms and the giving of huge and unacceptable pocket monies to their wards. Mr Tawiah explained to the parents that such promoted indiscipline in the school and warned that if parents shirked their responsibility without proper guidance to the youth, the consequences would be disastrous.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations and Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman, Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw promised to institute and annual award of GHC 1000 for the best science and the best arts students of the school with effect from next year. Mr Akenteng Appiah-Minkah, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Volta Hotel who chaired the function observed that, political independence without economic independence only created an illusion and called for rapid progress towards economic independence in the country. He called on Ghanaians to stand by the truth and not to be frightened by it. 21 July 08