Bursaries for poor school children will be increased- President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday stated that the NDC government would strengthen educational facilities at the basic level to make it free, compulsory and universally accepted.

He mentioned the augmentation of bursaries for the needy but brilliant children throughout the country, training of specialized teachers at kindergarten level and the elimination of schools under trees as some of the measures government was currently pursuing to achieve that goal.

President Mahama, who outlined this as part of his IEA evening encounter presentation in Accra, said under the 1992 constitution of Ghana, children of school going age were entitled to free, compulsory and universal education, which government would not renege on.

He mentioned the increase in school feeding programme in many more schools, the social intervention programme of distributing more exercise books and uniform to deprived children all over the country to encourage enrolment and sustenance of children in schools across the country as some of the measures.

The President said government had also outlined a programme to complete all abandoned educational projects throughout the country to facilitate the advancement of education to make it acceptable, accessible and equitable.

President Mahama announced that 10 new training colleges would be established at vantage places of the country to absorb more student-teachers, who would be trained to handle under resourced schools throughout the country.

He said a new public university would be established in the Eastern Region as that was the only region that was without such a tertiary facility and appealed to all to provide the necessary support to enable government to achieve its goals.

The President said 200 new Senior High Schools would be established in parts of the country to admit many more students into the second cycle institutions.

President Mahama appealed to the Ghana National Association of Teachers, National Association of Graduate teachers and all educational bodies to collaborate with government to come out with acceptable programmes that would make education acceptable in the country.