Govt polices creates educated citizenry - Minister

Accra, Aug. 30, GNA - Government policies such as the capitation grant, the school feeding programme and other interventions are geared towards the attainment of a well-educated citizenry, Mr. Joe Baidoo-Ansah, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, has said.

This, the Deputy Minister stressed would enable parents to send their children and wards to school to get education, which is the key to their future and the development of the nation. Mr. Baidoo-Ansah stated, "The capitation grant including the school feeding programme, the offer of free bus ride for school children and the massive expansion in school infrastructure, are all geared towards this end."

The Deputy Minister made the statement in a speech read on his behalf at the third passing out for 18 out of 200 pupils of the Saint Cecilia Basic Schools in Accra.

The Government introduced the capitation grant last year, as a means of boosting basic school enrolments. It is also to make basic school education accessible to the larger section of the population. The programme, Mr. Baidoo-Ansah explained, was a national exercise within the broader framework of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), endorsed by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

He said the responsibility of parents for the education of their children was crucial, where government was even able to provide all the resources and access to education, and cautioned, "If parents do not supplement it by really encouraging their children to take advantage of the opportunity, we will not succeed."

"A man cannot leave a better legacy to the world than a well-educated family," he stated and said the ability of a parent to pay promptly the relevant fees for the education of one's children was very much an expression of the love for the children.

Mrs. Cecilia Sackey, Proprietors of the School, said it was established 20 years ago, for the Kanda Community in Accra and its neighbourhood.

She said the school's objective was to train "the minds, hearts and hands" of the individual and appealed to parents to settle their ward's bills promptly to enable the school to operate successfully. The Headmaster Mr. Mike Simmon Addo Sunu said the teaching staff of the school were doing everything possible to promote "teaching and learning" and called on parents to send their children to school.