Minister urges past students to support their alma mater

Mim (B/A), Sept. 25, GNA - Mr Kwame Ampofo-Twumasi, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports, at the weekend challenged past students to financially support their former schools and colleges. He also urged those in private businesses to demonstrate their love and admiration for educational institutions. Mr Ampofo-Twumasi was addressing both present and past students of the Mim Secondary School, at the inauguration of an Old Students' Association of the school at Mim in the Asunafo North District of Brong-Ahafo.

The inauguration was on the theme: "Promoting quality education - the role of old students". Mr Ampofo-Twumasi, who is also the MP for Nkoranza South, stressed that education was "the only vehicle that can lift people out of abject poverty" and there was therefore the need to improve its infrastructure base for its development. "It is very paramount for all old students of educational institutions to come together to salvage their institutions", the Deputy Minister said.

He said the government recognised the worthy contributions of some past students to the educational sector and stressed the urgent need for collaborative efforts of all stakeholders to ensure efficient and quality education. Mr Ampofo-Twumasi encouraged parents to take advantage of the government's formulated policies to enrol their children in schools and urged students to be optimistic about their abilities to achieve their dreams.

Nana Kwadwo Kwakye, Deputy Regional Minister, expressed the hope that the leadership of the Association would make maximum use of communication technology in their quest to gather resources and ideas, while they embarked on membership mobilisation drive. He explained that ensuring quality education for all Ghanaian children, irrespective of where they were located was one area that had received the greatest attention of the government.

The Deputy Minister mentioned the massive expansion of infrastructure, provision of teaching and learning materials, the introduction of the capitation grant and the school feeding programmes, as well as the computerised system of selecting basic education certificate examination candidates, among others. Nana Kwakye challenged NGOs, religious bodies, clubs and old students associations to be partners in the fight against illiteracy and poverty "since the government alone cannot provide all that is needed to ensure quality education for all". He gave the assurance that the government was taking steps to tackle the problems facing the school at Mim. Alhaji Ishak Abubakar Bonsu, District Chief Executive, explained that quality education remained the key to poverty reduction and wealth creation, adding, it was against this background that government had selected human resource development for special attention. He expressed gratitude to present and past headmasters as well as the entire teaching staff for their efforts towards the growth of the school.