Klo-Agogo (E/R), Dec. 18, GNA- Director of the Volta River Authority (VRA) Schools, Mrs Grace Annancy, on Wednesday cut the sod to mark the commencement of work for the construction of a school block for the establishment of St. Nicholas Anglican Vocational and Driving School at Klo-Agogo in the Yilo Krobo District.
The project which is expected to be completed before September next year, is the first institution to be established to offer formal vocational training for people in Upper Yilo and Upper Manya Districts. Mrs Annancy called on politicians in the country to stop paying lip service to the policy of girl-child education and take practical measures to ensure full implementation of all the policies on girl-child education.
She explained that, there was no way the country could develop if it continued to have illiterate female population who are ignorant. The Member of Parliament for the area, Mr. Dan Tekpertey, called on the people to do away with some cultural practices which are affecting the socio-economic development of the area.
He cited the practice where the widow is made to marry a male relations of the diseased husband and explained that, such practice does not support the large amount of money government had invested in efforts to help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Mr. Tekpertey regretted that the Yilo Krobo District placed 80 out of the 110 Districts in the country in recent grading of districts based on their performance at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
He observed that, children in the Yilo Krobo District are equally intelligent like other Ghanaian children in other parts of the country but the difference is that most parents in the District do not give the needed attention to their children.
Mr. James Teye of the Yilo Krobo District Education Office called on the people of Klo-Agogo to support the school by enrolling their children at the school.
He said the only way by which the people of Klo-Agogo and other people staying in Upper Yilo area could be at par with other citizens staying in other parts of the country is through education.
Rev. Fr.R. A. Barnor, Parish Priest in-charge of the Klo-Agogo St. Nicholas Anglican Church, who initiated the project explained that research had shown that, most of the Junior Secondary School(JSS) graduates who could not enter the Senior Secondary School(JSS) had no where to go.
He said some of them engage in menial jobs while others leave for the big towns where they are exposed to a lot of vices and diseases including Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) including HIV/AIDS. Rev. Fr. Barnor said the church, therefore, decided to establish the institute to help the youth in the area to acquire some employable skills.
The Eastern Regional Manager of Anglican Schools, Rev. E. O. Gyan expressed his appreciation to the St. Nicholas Anglican Church for establishing the school.
He called on the District Assembly, Traditional Authorities in the area, opinion leaders and parents to support the church to ensure that the school is well patronised.
