Government secures $1.5 billion loan for education infrastructure expansion

Government through the Ghana Education Get Fund has secured a $1.5 billion loan to expand infrastructure facilities in Senior High Schools as part of efforts to improve quality and increase access to free secondary education.

The loan facility would be used to rehabilitate existing education facilities and build dormitories, assembly halls, classrooms and computer laboratories in senior high schools countrywide.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said this over the weekend at the 50th anniversary of Lawra Senior High School.

The event was celebrated under the theme: “Remembering our past and creating academic excellence for Ghana’s future”.

President Akufo-Addo said infrastructure has been identified as the main challenge following the successful implementation of the free senior high school increasing enrolment astronomically which requires urgent funding to address.

He asked heads of schools and supervisors to supervise teaching and learning as well as absenteeism more closely for both teachers and students in order to attain academic excellence.

“Teachers are role models for students and should always live exemplary lives,” he said and urged students to study hard towards achieving sound academic success.

Parents and guardians were also urged to assist teachers in shaping the future of their children and wards by supporting heads school heads as partners in education.

Naa Puowele Karbo III, the Paramount Chief of Lawra Traditional Area, praised the President for implementing free the Senior High School (SHS) policy to increase enrollment and lessen financial burdens of guardians and parents.

He said the free SHS education policy intervention has eased psychological and financial burdens of both parents and students and removed the apprehensions that usually typify admissions during new academic seasons.

“We applaud you for the bold decision to implement the free senior high school policy which is to ensure that no child in the country is deprived of secondary education because of poverty,” he said.

“This policy no doubt has brought relief to many parents and eliminated the anxiety and panic which usually characterised admissions to SHS in the past.”

President Akufo-Addo was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Roads and Transport and also Member of Parliament for Lawra Constituency Anthony Abayifa Karbo; MP for Nandom and Minister of Interior Ambrose Dery as well as MP for Nelarigu-Gambaga and Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Hajia Alima Mahama among others.