Gov’t selects 50 schools for expansion

The government has selected the first 50 senior high schools that would be expanded under the phase one of public school expansion programme.

In all about 300, existing schools would benefit from the programme to provide admission slots to a total of 5,520 students across the country.

President John Dramani Mahama announced this when he inaugurated the new Nchumuruman Community Day Senior High at Chinderi in the Krachi-Nchumuru District of the Volta Region.

The Nchumuruman Community Day Senior High School brings to five schools that President Mahama has so far inaugurated out of the 100 schools that are under construction.

The new school block would replace the dilapidated community senior high school that operated in the community over the years.

President Mahama said the expansion programme would provide new classroom blocks in 298 schools, new dining halls in 18 of the schools while 159 schools would also be provided with new dormitory blocks.

He said science laboratory blocks, libraries, computer blocks and other units would be provided to give the schools a facelift.

President Mahama said the Ministry of Education would strengthen its monitoring system to ensure that all schools that are under construction are completed on schedule.

He commended the private sector for contributing tremendously to the establishment of schools ranging from basic to the tertiary level throughout the country.

Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, Minister of Education warned parents against the withdrawal of girls from schools for marriage.

She said such a practice would not only thwart government’s efforts at tackling gender parity in schools but would also hamper the potentials of the girls, who could have risen up to become self-reliant and responsible citizens.

She appealed to the school authorities, the communities and traditional authorities to take special interest in the maintenance of the schools in order to prolong their lifespan.