Ministry should separate grading system for deprived, well-endowed

schools

Begoro (E/R), July 28, GNA - Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, (NDC) Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa in the Eastern Region, has urged the Ministry of Education to re-consider the examination policies in relation to children in deprived conditions in the country.

He said the situation where students from deprived schools, which lacked teachers and other academic facilities were made to write the same final examinations with students from well-endowed or grade "A" schools using the same grading system was unfair.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo made the call when he presented sports equipment and 50 bags of cement at a total cost of about six million cedis to the Begoro Presbyterian Secondary School at Begoro on Monday. The equipment included a set of jersey, two sets of table tennis equipment, two footballs and two volleyballs.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo contended that the current situation tended to "give a wrong reflection of the academic potentials of good students from the deprived areas and often destroyed the possibility of their break away from their deprived status through further education." He noted that, "often, students from poor homes who make it to the top of the social ladder through education, contribute towards alleviating poverty in their families and in some cases the entire community."

He commended the policy of government to upgrade at least one senior secondary school in every district into a model one and called for the inclusion of the Begoro Presbyterian Secondary School in the programme.

The MP, who urged the students to concentrate on their books and make determined efforts to succeed, promised the school three computers and ten million cedis towards the provision of radiotelephones. Mr Oko Charway, Headmaster, said the school's enrolment had increased from 128 in 1995 to 831 in 2004, saying due to the increase, the administration block had to be relocated to the old block to make way for the expansion of the boys' dormitory.