APGSS cerebrates 40th speech day

Takoradi, Dec.4 -GNA- His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, Catholic Archbishop of Cape-Coast has said that society would be better off if quality education for the youth would be regarded as a manual for successful human life.

This is because whereas many items have instruction for their use, human life is the only exception that begins without a manual or instructions of use.

He said the Catholic Church had the vision to invest in the education of the youth because without education life would lose its true meaning and value.

Cardinal Appiah Turkson was speaking at a durbar to mark the 40th anniversary speech and prize-giving ceremony of the Archbishop Porter Girls' Secondary School (APGSS) in Takoradi on Saturday. The theme for the ceremony was "Anniversary celebrations 40 years of Catholic matchless education for girls - challenges, achievements and the way forward".

Cardinal Appiah Turkson noted that while other religious institutions invested in business ventures to make money the Catholic Church decided to "invest in the training of the mind and hand to serve society adequately".

He emphasised the need for state and church collaboration in the efforts to provide sound education, without which he said, "life will be meaningless and chaotic".

He said achievements and virtues of the school after 40 years of its establishment was worth celebrating and commended past and present heads and teachers for carving a niche for he school.

Cardinal Appiah Turkson said APGSS had been the only girls' school in the Western Region and called on the government and other stakeholders to take up the challenge to provide the region with another girls' school.

Mrs. Angelina Baiden-Amissah, Deputy Minister of Education and Sports said the government has put in place several interventions to enable it to realise its vision to achieve quality education for all. These, she said, include the compulsory kindergarten for children, the capitation grant to support it, FCUBE and the Sandwich programme for graduate teachers, among others.

The Deputy Minister of Education called on the churches and other religious organisations to continue in the common endeavour to develop and train the country's human resource.

She paid tribute to the founding fathers of the school whose vision was to provide exquisite education for future Christian mothers. Mrs Baiden-Amissah commended students, staff and the headmistress for the school's high academic performance and discipline and said these must be maintained at all times.

She also advised the students to eschew all forms of immoral and amorous activities that could destroy their future.

Mr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Western Regional Minister noted with admiration that troubles fomented by some students to give school authorities and politicians anxious moments were absent at APGSS. He commended the headmistress, the staff and the students for maintaining high academic standards and discipline to make the region proud. Mr. Aidoo said the government was ever determined to ensure the development of a knowledgeable, well-trained and disciplined labour force with the capacity to drive and sustain private sector-led growth. Mrs. Teresa Prah Headmistress of the school, in her report, said the school's success in turning out some of the best women found in all spheres of life was the result of cooperation, mutual respect and trust among the students, staff and the school authorities. She said the fact that academic performances continue to improve year after year was testimony of the harmonious relations that exist in the school.

In the area of discipline, Mrs Prah said APGSS had been the envy of many schools in the region and can boast of being among the best and most well-behaved schools in the country. APGSS now has a population of 750 students, she said, and called for the rehabilitation and upgrading of facilities to make them user friendly.

Miss Eurydice Aboagye, school prefect said moral misconduct among students was rare because of training of students to be God-fearing, prayerful and each to be her sister' keeper. She expressed her gratitude to the school authorities for their hard work and sacrifice.

Earlier, The Most Reverend John Martin Darko, Catholic Bishop of Sekondi-Takoradi dioceses unveiled the statue of the Virgin Mary and the bust of His Grace John Kodwo Amissah, founder of APGSS.