More science centres to be provided - Osafo-Maafo

Accra, Nov. 30, GNA - Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Education and Sports, on Wednesday said the Ministry was working towards the provision of enough facilities to teach science in all schools due to the importance the Government attached to the development of science education in the country.

Mr Osafo-Maafo gave this assurance in an answer to a question on the floor of the Parliament asked by Mr Kofi Frimpong, NPP-Kwabre East, who wanted to know what plans the Ministry had to establish a Science Resource Centre (SRC) at Antoa Secondary School at Antoa in the Ashanti Region since there was no such centre in the whole constituency. The Minister explained that not all districts/constituencies were provided with SRCs and that schools were grouped such that a cluster of schools had access to the centre either in the district that the school was situated or a nearby district.

"Distribution of SRCs were based on the needs of the country and available resources at the time of their establishment in 1995/1996." Mr Osafo-Maafo said: "Secondary schools which have SRCs are deemed to be satellite schools, which serve a cluster of schools, which means that not all secondary schools are equipped with SRCs."

He said while the Government was making efforts to acquire resources to provide SRCs for more schools, "Antoa Secondary School can in the meantime go to the SRC at Osei Kyeretwie Secondary School or the SRC at Offinso Secondary School, which are nearer to Antoa Secondary School."

On when the Ministry would provide Antoa Secondary School with a girls' hostel, the Minister said the Ministry and the Ghana Education Service were undertaking more than 500 projects throughout the country and that the projects were at various stages of completion. "There will, therefore, be provision for the girl's hostel when new projects are being considered," he said, adding: "It is the policy that most of these projects should be completed before new ones are started."