Headmaster appeals to gov’t to lift embargo

Rev. Franklin Koranteng Boadu, the Headmaster of Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, has appealed to the government to consider lifting the embargo on recruitment and the transfer of teachers as it was having severe consequences for some schools.

He said the situation has led to lack of teachers in some subject areas, especially core subjects and was hampering the efforts of ensuring quality tuition due to the increasing number of student intake.

Rev Boadu made the call at the 75th speech and prize giving day celebration on Saturday at Cape Coast under the theme’ 75 years of secondary education at Aggrey Memorial: achievement, challenges and the way forward’.

He said the school administration and the PTA had to hire teachers and engage national service personnel who do not have the requisite teaching knowledge and experience to teach the subjects that they lacked teachers at an extra cost.

He said the school has a population of 2,761 students and if the figure of 20 students to one teacher was anything to go by, then the teacher to student ratio was woefully inadequate and GES would have to hasten its rationalization programme to allow them to employ more teachers

Rev. Boadu said the school runs a three-shift system during meals due to limited space in the dining hall as the hall that accommodated 600 students some decades ago was still used by more than 2,700 students and called for its expansion.

Other problems enumerated include inadequate staff accommodation, inadequate dormitory facilities for both boys and girls and lack of a modern spacious science laboratory which the headmaster said, was obstructing the teaching and learning of science.

He expressed appreciation to the PTA and the GETfund for completing the 27-unit class room block.

He said the school, with support from the Aggrey Memorial Old Student Association (AMOSA), has enrolled some parts of the school onto a solar system panel to solve the problem of “dumsor” on the school campus.

The Headmaster said that was the first of its kind in the country and would also help to cut down on energy bills, adding that MTN Foundation had pledged to construct a 40-seater ICT center so enhance the teaching and learning of ICT

The Regional Minister, Mr. Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, commended the PTA for it immense contribution to the success of the school over the past 75 years and promised to raise 20 solar street lights in the school.

He told the students to explore different opportunities to acquire knowledge and advised them to desist from criminal activities such as drug abuse, pre-marital sex and cyber fraud.