Second cycle schools in Cape Coast cry for infrastructural support

Authorities of second-cycle schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis have appealed to Government to as a matter of urgency support them with the needed infrastructural assistance to enhance academic work.

They said inadequate basic infrastructural and logistical support such as classrooms, dormitories, dining halls, encroachments and general security in schools posed a great setback to their vision to provide free quality education to all eligible students.

Additionally, they said the absence of well-stocked science laboratories, libraries, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centres, textbooks, supplementary reading books, feeding, and other Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) also served as a hindrance in the effort. The schools authorities made this known when Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Minister for Special Initiatives, toured some second-cycle schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis on Monday.

The tour was to enable her get first-hand information on the successes, challenges and way forward on the aftermath of the implementation of the free Senior High School (SHS) programme by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo led-Government.

The Minister, accompanied by Mr Kwamina Duncan, Central Regional Minister and Mr David Afram, Out-going Regional Director of Education visited some Senior High Schools including the Mfanstipim School, Wesley Girls' SHS, the Academy of Christ the King SHS, and the University Practice SHS.

In all the schools visited, the Minister interacted with the school authorities, students and parents and assured them of government's determination to sustain the free SHS education to ensure every eligible Ghanaian was nit denied access.

Scores of parents and particularly students who had benefited from the policy hailed the president for his foresight and determination to ensure that the huge financial burden of parents was removed.

Mrs Koomson, who doubles as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu-Senya East, advised students to study hard to to contribute significantly to national development.

The Minister and the entourage first visited the Mfantsipim School where Mr Manfred Martin Oduro, the Headmaster, complained about inadequate infrastructural facilities which had reduced students intake from 1,000 to 400.

He said the current situation had been compounded by new decongestion policy by the management of the school to improve upon its standards of providing excellent tuition to its students.

At Wesley Girls SHS, Mrs Betty Djokoto, Headmistress of the School, confirmed that admission had been smooth and some teaching and learning aids have been received.

She appealed to the government to complete an assembly hall which had been abandoned for more than a decade adding that the school will continue to improve upon it's quality tuition standards to maintain it's enviable academic achievements.

Mrs Florence Offei, Headmistress of the Academy of Christ the King SHS and Mrs Paulina Yankah, Headmistress of the University Practice SHS, respectively called for massive infrastructural uplift-meant to ease academic work.

They complained about crowded classrooms, dormitories, dining halls and lack of other teaching and learning logistics.