Apam SHS marks Diamond Jubilee
Prof. Kobina Yankson, a former Pro-vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast has called on government to pay more attention to technical and vocational education.
He said records show that there are about 500 public senior high schools in the country which provides a ‘grammar-type’ of education as against 26 public technical schools.
Prof. Yankson said this, during the Diamond Jubilee and Speech and Prize-Giving Day celebration of Apam SHS over the weekend.
He appealed to government to convert some of the 200 new SHS’ promised by the President into technical schools so that they could produce technical and vocational oriented graduates to feed the 10 polytechnics and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
“In this era of globalization, driven by technology and science, Ghana’s efforts at expanding secondary education in the vocational institutions will be in the best interest of the country rather than the existing ‘grammar-type’ of education,” he said.
The theme for the event was: “Character and Efficiency: Our Heritage, Our Future, Our Bond.”
Prof. Yankson, a past student of the school, described the theme as very appropriate in view of the rising indiscipline in society and that it is also in line with the school’s motto; “Obrapa gya owura kwan,” literally meaning character and efficiency.
He said conditions within the community in which a school is located were bound to have an impact on the school and commended the Apam community for creating a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere for the school to thrive.
Prof. Yankson commended the Gomoa West District Assembly and Government for providing 18 unit classroom blocks and four unit teachers’ quarters for the school.
He also lauded them for providing roofing sheets for the construction of walk-ways and the donation of 100 bags of cement for ongoing projects in the school.
Mr. Samuel Sarpong, Central Regional Minister, said a well informed population coupled with a morally sound people can build a democratic and prosperous society.
“Our communities should not perceive the education of our children as the responsibility of the government and therefore sit unconcerned; he said adding that “since education is a shared responsibility it requires that all hands must be on deck if we are to attain highly enlightened population within the shortest possible time.”
Mr. Archibold Kobina Fuah, the Headmaster of the School, said in 2013 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the school presented 966 students and scored 100 per cent passes.
He enumerated some challenges facing the school as the construction of assembly hall and chapel complex, construction of additional bungalows for teachers, re-tarring of school’s roads, construction of a larger common room for teachers, construction of a new ICT centre, recruitment of more non-teaching staff, and fixing of pavement blocks on the school’s assembly grounds.
Earlier, a bust of the late Kojo Botsio, a Minister of Education in the First Republic through whose efforts the school was constructed and Mr. Peter Augustus Owiredu, Second Headmaster from 1959-1979, were unveiled along with three other projects.
Mr. Daniel Owiredu, President of Ghana Chamber of Mines and a son of the second headmaster, who chaired the function, said the sixtieth milestone of the school represented a fresh call for all to uphold the vision of the founding fathers.
Source: GNA