GETFund directed to address shortage of dormitories, classrooms in SHS

Government has directed the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to undertake educational infrastructure projects in all public senior high schools (SHSs) for successful implementation and sustenance of the Free SHS Policy.

Madam Gifty Twum-Ampofo, the Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), who announced this in Yamfo, said priority would be given to SHSs implementing the double track system.

She was speaking at the inauguration of a 12-unit classroom block constructed for the Yamfo Anglican Senior High School in the Ahafo Region.

The block, furnished with 600 desks, was constructed by the GETFund to allow the school admit more students in the coming academic year.

Madam Twum-Ampofo said the Free SHS was progressing steadily in all public schools and with the GETFund projects, all challenges of inadequate classroom blocks and dormitories would soon be addressed.

She said human resource development remained the most valuable asset for the nation and Government would leave no stone unturned to make formal and quality education easily accessible to all.

“With the implementation of the Free SHS, no Ghanaian child must be left behind in accessing quality education, irrespective of his or her background or location.”

The Deputy Minister said teachers’ workload had increased due to the Free SHS programme and, therefore, entreated them to redouble their efforts while the Ministry of Education worked out modalities to improve their conditions of service.

She said the MPs Common Fund was woefully inadequate in addressing the development needs of a constituency, hence the need to maintain Mrs Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament for Tano North, in the 2020 elections “to enable her to use her excellent lobbying skills to acquire more support to develop the area.”

Mrs Prempeh was said to have lobbied for the project when she visited the school sometime last year.

The MP, also the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, said she had sought for support and very soon construction work on a girls’ dormitory project for the school would commence.

All public basic and second cycle institutions in the area have somehow benefitted from educational projects like classroom blocks, teachers quarters, sanitary facilities, dining halls, kitchen and teaching and learning materials.

Mrs Prempeh advised students to avoid engaging in immoral practices and concentrate on their studies to progress academically and become competent professionals to contribute towards national development.

With the Free SHS Programme, she said government had placed enormous responsibility on teachers to ensure proper upbringing and development of the students.

The Reverend Canon Barnabas Kofi Oko, the Headmaster of the School, commended the Government and the MP for the block.

Apart from relieving parents of huge economic burdens, he said the Free SHS had increased enrolment and provided opportunity for all social classes to access secondary education with ease.

Rev. Oko said students’ population had jumped from 273 to 671 and that 418 final year students were preparing for their first exams under the first batch placement of the Policy.

He described the Policy a laudable, which should not be politicised, and appealed to government to cater for teachers’ welfare too.

He pleaded for the provision of a 50-seater bus for the School and accommodation for teachers.