Minister calls for supplementary support for education

Wa, July 4, GNA - Mr. Sahanun Mogtari, Upper West Regional Minister on Saturday called on civil society and benevolent groups and individuals to mobilise the people of the region to establish endowment funds to supplement government's efforts in developing schools.

"We must never underestimate what we can do for ourselves, if others have succeeded elsewhere, I believe we can also succeed." He made the call when he addressed the second speech and prize-giving day of the Islamic Senior Secondary School in Wa, on the theme: "Education, An antidote to ignorance."

Mr. Mogtari noted that the emergence of various education endowment funds, Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) support and individual contributions towards the development of schools in some parts of the country were contributing to the success of schools in their communities.

"We in this part of the country have so far been found wanting in this aspect," he said, and charged NGOs, PTAs, old boys and girls associations, traditional and religious leaders to take up the challenge of supporting their schools."

Mr. Mogtari warned the students against the use of hard drugs, alcoholism, harassment of female students and truancy as such habits could shorten their education and make some of them social misfits. On politics, he appealed to people in the region not to entertain political parties, which had nothing to offer them apart from "fanning confusion and beating war drums."

Mr. Sulemana Alhassan, Headmaster of the School, said the burden of developing the school, which was opened in 1995, had been shouldered by the Islamic "Jamiat" and the Parent-Teacher Association.

According to him since the school was absorbed into the public system, the only government project that it could boast of was a three-unit classroom block constructed in 1998.

He suggested the establishment of a transport pool for schools in each region since the possibility of providing each school with a vehicle was very remote.

Alhaji Abu Jaja, a Financial Consultant who chaired the function, advised the students to avoid bad company and stick to their books and also remember that discipline, hard-work and dedication were the ingredients of success.