ASANCO marks 46th anniversary

Asankragwa (W/R), Feb 12, GNA - Asankragwa Secondary School (ASANCO) climaxed activities marking its 46th Speech and Prize-Giving Day with a grand durbar of chiefs, old and continuing students, parents and guardians at the schools premises at the week-end. It was under the theme: "the Impact of Secondary Education on the National Development Agenda-Challenges and the Way Forward". Prof Aboagye Menyeh, Provost, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, proposed that Educational Policy Formulation and implementation Advisory Board should be set up with legislative mandate.

The body will research adequately into situations, issues and conditions pertinent to national goals and aspirations before formulating them into policies.

He said the virility of policy so formulated would avoid the tendencies of random changes of policies that tended to toy with the educational system.

Prof Menyeh, who is an old student of ASANCO, spoke against the indiscriminate recruitment of unqualified teaching personnel to fill vacancies and said this leads to mediocrity.

Such a practice, Prof Menyeh said, makes some otherwise potential students suffer grievous "academic mishap".

Touching on incentive, Prof Menyeh said, "I believe more enhanced and attractive packages, besides the annual Best Teacher Award Scheme which has much constraint and limited in scope, should also be provided. He suggested that a Teachers' Endowment Fund should be established to mobilize adequate resources from stakeholders in education to boost teachers' morale.

Mrs Rebecca Efiba Dadzie, the Western Regional Director of Education, said in September 2007, the nation would adopt the four-year Senior High School System that would bring in its trail increased school enrolment and class sizes and appealed to teachers to rise to the occasion.

Mr Joseph Bagbin, the Headmaster of ASANCO, said late President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah established the school in 1960 with 22 boys and two tutors.

Currently, the student population is 1,087 made up of 692 boys and 395.

He said the academic performance of the school keeps on improving. In 2005 the school recorded 58 per cent passes in six to eight subjects and obtained 98.2 per cent in one to eight subjects in 2006. Mr Bagbin said the absence of major learning facilities in the school continues to make life very unbearable for students and pleaded with the Western Regional Minister to see to the early completion of the Dining/Assembly Hall complex that started in 1975 and abandoned in 1977 but has now been given on contract.

He said the school provides its own water using pumping machines but maintenance cost of these machines is a serious drain on the school's finances and appealed that the utility bill withheld by government should be given to the school because it does not benefit from Ghana Water Company Service.

Mr Bagbin said frequent power cuts tended to have negative impact on students' academic work and appealed to the Western Regional Minister to assist the school to access a generating plant for constant supply of electricity.