Greater proportion of resources spent on education – Ofosu-Ampofo
Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister, said greater proportion of national resources was being spent on education being manifested in the number of interventions by government to make education accessible to all including disadvantaged children.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo mentioned some of the interventions as the construction of new classroom blocks to get rid of schools under trees and the shift system, the increase in the capitation grant, the free exercise and school uniforms programme and school feeding programme.
He was speaking at the Sixth Akuapem Education Day at Apirede, organized by the Akuapem Community Foundation (ACF), a non-governmental organization committed to the improvement of school performance in the Akuapem area on Wednesday.
It was under the theme; “Our Health Our Heritage.”
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said education was a shared responsibility and called on other stakeholders to play the part expected of them.
He said this year government had decided to subsidize the cost of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) by paying GH¢17.00 out of the GH¢24.00 registration fees for all pupils both in the private and public schools.
He said the government for the past two years was constructing nine six-unit-classroom blocks with other facilities to help solve the challenge of school under trees in the Akuapem North District at a cost of GH¢1,130,000.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said other 16 school buildings with institutional places of convenience and other facilities had been completed or were in the process of completion at the Akuapem North District.
He said similar projects could also be found in the Akuapem South Municipality and thanked the ACF for its efforts in helping raise the standard of education in the Akuapem Area.
Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, Acting Executive Secretary of the Narcotics Control Board, who launched a book on drug abuse written by Reverend Father Alfonse Amanor, said currently some aspects of the narcotics laws of the country had been reviewed.
He said hitherto when one was caught with any illegal drug; it was the responsibility of the prosecution to prove that the property of the accused was acquired through the profit made from the drug business before the property could be seized.
“Now it is the responsibility of the accused to prove that the property was not acquired through the profits from the drug business else the property would be confiscated to the state.”
He advised the youth to desist from the use of illegal drugs to enable them to develop into useful citizens.
Nana Oye Mansa Yeboaa, Dompiahene of Akuapem Traditional Area and the lead Co-ordinator of the Foundation, urged teachers in the rural areas to inspire the children to learn because they were the role models of the communities where they taught.
She appealed to the District and Municipal Assemblies to offer scholarships to needy but brilliant children who got placement in schools but could not go because their families could not afford the school fees.
Source: GNA