Adequate planning is critical to policy implementation - Nii Ashitey

Accra, Oct. 8, GNA - Nii Armah Ashitey, Greater Accra Regional Minister has stressed the need for adequate planning to be made in the public sector to ensure effective government policy implementation. "We need to pay a lot more attention to planning, after a policy has been made," he said adding that people working in government should spend quality time to plan well before implementation. The Regional Minister said this on Friday when he inspected the progress on the construction of six-unit classroom blocks for Senior High Schools (SHS) in the Greater Accra Region.

The six-unit classroom blocks would cater for first year SHS students, who will report to their respective schools on the 15th October.

The construction of the additional classrooms became necessary following the introduction of the four-year SHS system under the New Patriotic Party Administration. Meanwhile, the policy, under the National Democratic Congress this year, has been reverted to the three year programme. The first point of call was the Labone Senior High School (SHS), where the six-unit classroom block is expected to be completed by the end of October 2010.

The Minister commended the contractor for work done far but urged him to fast track process to ensure the block was completed by the 15th October to make it ready for the first year students. Mr Maxwell Appiah Twum, Assistant Headmaster in charge of Academics at the Labone SHS, said the school expects about 500 new students this academic year. At the Saint Thomas Aquinas Senior High School, a 12-unit classroom block being constructed with funds from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) would be used to accommodate the new students because work has delayed on the six-unit block. Only 25 percent of work has been completed on the six-unit block at time of the visit. Completion of work at the Accra High School project was about 45 percent. The school besides, the six-unit classroom block is also constructing a recreational facility. In addition, the school authorities have made provision to use other available classrooms in case work delayed.

The project at the Accra Girls SHS would also not be ready for use by the October 15th re-opening date. As a result, a 12-classroom block being constructed with funds from GETFund and, which is about 85% complete, would be used instead. Mrs Veronica Akapame, Headmistress of Accra Girls, said they intended to increase the number of beds in the dormitories and use any other available room as temporary dormitories till the block was completed.

The situation at the Presbyterian Boys Senior High School (PRESEC), at Legon seemed to be worse because the school does not have sufficient rooms to accommodate the incoming students. Mr Africanus Anane, Headmaster of PRESEC said the school expected about 640 students, 400 of whom were coming from outside Accra and would have to be accommodated on the campus. He said the school authorities would be meeting parents to find a solution to the problem and appealed to the Regional Minister to help in that regard.

Final year students at the Achimota SHS would also be forced to do their practical work on weekends because their laboratories would be converted into classrooms. This is because the additional six-unit classroom block under construction would not be ready before the October 15th date. The school intends to use its 18-unit block being built with funds from the GETFund. The Greater Accra Regional Minister promised to meet the heads of PRESEC and Achimota to find a solution to their accommodation problems before the reopening date for the incoming first year students. He said he was satisfied with the progress on the projects in the schools so far and expressed the hope that the students would make judicious use of the investments made for them by their parents and the Government. 8 Oct. 10