Minister says quality basic education is needed

Cape Coast, July 27, GNA - Nana Ato Arthur, Central Regional Minister, has stressed the importance of quality basic education and said without it government's desire to move the nation to a middle income level by 2015 would be a mirage.

He said the nation needed quality basic education to enable it to lay a foundation for acquiring the right calibre of human resources to promote its socio-economic development.

Nana Arthur said this in an address read for him at the 43rd Speech and Prize-Giving Day of the University of Cape Coast Primary School. He said it was only through the acquisition of quality education that individuals could become useful to themselves and to the communities they would be serving in future. Nana Arthur said the New Patriotic Party government had initiated quality enhancement programmes at all levels of education. But the objectives in education could be achieved when there was commitment from headteachers and teachers as well as support from parents, alumni, chiefs, and the community, the Ghana Education Service and disciplined pupils.

The regional minister said the task of ensuring quality teaching and learning in basic schools should no longer be seen as the sole responsibility of the government and called on all stakeholders to contribute their quota towards its attainment.

Ms Agnes Gyimah, the Headteacher of the school, said the school continued to excel in external examinations and other competitions. The overall winners of the 50th Anniversary inter-school quiz competition for the Cape Coast municipality were pupils of the school. The school's athletic team placed first and second in the girls and boys divisions respectively in the OLA circuit this year. Five teachers from the school have so far won both the regional best teacher and the municipal best teacher awards. She appealed to the school authorities and all other stakeholders to assist the school establish an ICT Centre. Ms Gyimah expressed gratitude to the PTA executives and to all parents and guardians who have in diverse ways assisted the school throughout the year.

Master Benjamin Monney, head prefect of the school, commended the staff for helping to improve upon their academic performances and appealed to the regional minister to help the school to get a bus.