‘Level of devt depends on quality education’

The Director of Ecumenical and Social Relations Department of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev Nii Armah Ashitey, said the level of development of a country is dependent on the quality of its educational system.

He has, therefore, urged the citizenry and stakeholders not to take pride in pointing out the shortfalls in Ghana’s educational system but to help resolve them so that it would be able to refine the potentials of students to fulfil their God given destiny.

Rev Ashitey was speaking at the 25th anniversary celebration and speech and prize giving ceremony of Presbyterian Senior High School in Tema on, ‘Unlocking potentials through access, equity and quality education.’

He announced that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, in collaboration with the government, was planning a symposium to ensure that quality of education was not compromised at any of the levels of education and therefore invited stakeholders to avail themselves of the opportunity.

Rev Ashitey advised students not to resign themselves to fate nor think that their success is in the hands of their teachers but to resolve to succeed.

“Read widely to maximise your horizon to be competitive, borrow the book you do not have from a friend to read in order to pass your examination and be what you can be,” he said.

The headmistress of the school, Ms Dora Danquah-Darko, appealed to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Education and the PCG, to help complete a GETFund project for a six-unit classroom block started in 2010 but had stalled.

She called on stakeholders to help provide accommodation for students and teachers near the school as they commute long distances and got to school late, thus affecting teaching and learning.

Ms Danquah-Darko expressed worry about inadequate furniture for students and teachers.

She said fees owed by students who completed school recently, (non beneficiaries of the free Senior High School) amounted to GH¢27,914.00 affecting the school’s budget to undertake activities to improve academic performance.

There are 66 permanent teachers, one volunteer teacher, 14 non teaching staff and seven national service personnel in the school. The student population is 915 including 521 girls.

The 2018 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination showed that 319 (97.3 per cent) students out of 328 presented for the examination passed obtaining grades A1 to E8 in their various subject areas. Out of these 60 students passed in eight subjects, 54 students passed in seven subjects, 63 passed in six subjects and 54 passed in five subjects among others.

Nine subjects out of the 27 had more than 80 per cent of the students passing with Physics obtaining 100 per cent.

From GODFRED BLAY GIBBAH, Tema.