Many rural children don't reach potentials because of poor facilities

Ho, Feb. 24, GNA- Many endowed children in the rural are never able to develop their potentials because of the lack of opportunities, Dr Samuel Doamekpor, a Nutrition Consultant said in Ho on Saturday.

He said however high a child's intelligence quotient, that child required an environment which promoted scholarship to make it manifest.

Dr Doamekpor, who was speaking at the launch of the 10th Anniversary of the Founding of Sokode Secondary Technical School (SOSTECH), said it was therefore crucial for small communities to strive to improve conditions in their schools.

The launch was under the theme: "Education-Key to Community Development and Progress".

He said lack of teachers, learning materials and other facilities were partly responsible for the lack of interest in education and poor educational standards in the rural areas.

Dr. Doamekpor, who is also into genetics, therefore called on the Chiefs and People of Sokode and other stakeholders to "work on the environment of SOSTECH vigorously" for a faster growth. SOSTECH was founded in 1996 as a community-based private school but was absorbed into the public system in 2001.

Mr Billy Sunu, Chairman of Board of Governors, said the school, which started and still operates in the premises of an old Junior Secondary School has no vehicle, no hostel for students, staff common room, library and uses canopies of trees as classrooms sometimes.

Mr Sunu appealed to citizens, government and other stakeholders to help complete an eight-unit two-storey classroom block, started by the Parents Teachers Association of the School, but which has come to a standstill.

Mr Stephen Addey, Headmaster said the school, whose enrolment at inception was 28, rising to 265 at a time, now had 200 students. He said the drop in enrolment was due to the computerization of the selection to senior secondary schools.

Mr Arddey said academic work was steadily improving, with the school getting 87.2 percent pass at the Senior Secondary School Certificate Exams in 2006.

Mr Mawutor Goh, Ho Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) in a speech read for him said all Senior Secondary Schools were in the process of being given vehicles under a GET-fund facility.

He said it was not only the policy of government to extend education to all communities but also to ensure that facilities were good enough to produce good human materials for the development of the country.

A Central Planning Committee and other ancillary committees were inaugurated to organize the anniversary, which is scheduled for July 14, this year.