Upgrading of 31 SSS begins next week

Accra, Oct 8, GNA - Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State in-charge of Tertiary Education, on Wednesday said work on the first phase of upgrading the quality of education in 31 senior secondary schools would begin next week.
The exercise for 25 more of such schools would also start next year.
Ms. Ohene, who was speaking at a press briefing in Accra said this was to ensure that every region had schools that would be at par with other schools like Achimota, Prempeh College and Presbyterian Boys Secondary School, which were believed to be the best schools in the country.
She did not mention the schools that were to enjoy the facilities, but said the upgrading exercise was to implement the President's initiative to prevent the over-crowding in those first class schools. She said most candidates did not choose subjects in relation to programmes being run in some schools and thus ended up not gaining admission.
Mr Emmanuel Aquaye, Director, Basic Education and the Acting Director of Secondary Education said evidence prior to the Science Technology and Mathematics Programme showed a low participation of girls in those subjects.
However, with the introduction of the programme there has been a tremendous increase in girls participation and performance in science and mathematics.
Mr Aquaye said evidence of performance of girls in physics, biology and chemistry from 1995 to 2000 showed that they took the lead in all the subjects as compared to previous years.
He said with 107 science resource centres, 800,000 students had gone through the science laboratories since its inception and schools without laboratories had access to resource centres for practical activities.
Mr Aquaye said the percentage of candidates had increased from 37.8 per cent to 58.6 per cent between 1998 and 2000.
Mrs Margaret Benneh, Director of Teacher Education said 9,000 new teacher trainees would be admitted to first year this year.
She said using the normal admission procedures, 48 per cent females had been admitted to first year this year, showing an appreciable increase in female enrolment over last year's.
This, she said, was all geared towards bringing parity in male/female admission into teacher training colleges by 2005. She said as against 176 students who were admitted in 2002/2003 in the three French colleges, over 350 students have been admitted this year to read French to promote the President's vision of getting more Ghanaians to speak French.
She said as part of in-service activities, pupil teachers would be trained, using the modular form to address the shortage of teachers in the basic schools and information communication technology would be enhanced to support teacher education.

Accra, Oct 8, GNA - Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State in-charge of Tertiary Education, on Wednesday said work on the first phase of upgrading the quality of education in 31 senior secondary schools would begin next week.
The exercise for 25 more of such schools would also start next year.
Ms. Ohene, who was speaking at a press briefing in Accra said this was to ensure that every region had schools that would be at par with other schools like Achimota, Prempeh College and Presbyterian Boys Secondary School, which were believed to be the best schools in the country.
She did not mention the schools that were to enjoy the facilities, but said the upgrading exercise was to implement the President's initiative to prevent the over-crowding in those first class schools. She said most candidates did not choose subjects in relation to programmes being run in some schools and thus ended up not gaining admission.
Mr Emmanuel Aquaye, Director, Basic Education and the Acting Director of Secondary Education said evidence prior to the Science Technology and Mathematics Programme showed a low participation of girls in those subjects.
However, with the introduction of the programme there has been a tremendous increase in girls participation and performance in science and mathematics.
Mr Aquaye said evidence of performance of girls in physics, biology and chemistry from 1995 to 2000 showed that they took the lead in all the subjects as compared to previous years.
He said with 107 science resource centres, 800,000 students had gone through the science laboratories since its inception and schools without laboratories had access to resource centres for practical activities.
Mr Aquaye said the percentage of candidates had increased from 37.8 per cent to 58.6 per cent between 1998 and 2000.
Mrs Margaret Benneh, Director of Teacher Education said 9,000 new teacher trainees would be admitted to first year this year.
She said using the normal admission procedures, 48 per cent females had been admitted to first year this year, showing an appreciable increase in female enrolment over last year's.
This, she said, was all geared towards bringing parity in male/female admission into teacher training colleges by 2005. She said as against 176 students who were admitted in 2002/2003 in the three French colleges, over 350 students have been admitted this year to read French to promote the President's vision of getting more Ghanaians to speak French.
She said as part of in-service activities, pupil teachers would be trained, using the modular form to address the shortage of teachers in the basic schools and information communication technology would be enhanced to support teacher education.