Nandom SHS to get six unit classroom block and dormitory

Nandom (U/W), May 24, GNA - Government will provide a six- unit classroom and dormitory block for the Nandom Senior High School (SHS) to reduce the pressure on existing facilities, Mr. Cezar Kale, Deputy Upper West Regional Minister has announced. He said work on two sets of three-bedroom as well as four two-bedroom teachers' accommodation for the school was far advanced. Mr. Kale said this on Saturday at the seventh Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Nandom Senior High School at Nandom in the Lawra District. He said the projects would be completed and ready for use before the start of the next academic year.

Mr. Kale commended the board of governors, the headmaster and staff of the school for holding onto discipline, hard work, resilience and faith in God that enabled them to maintain the schools' enviable record of being a centre for academic excellence. Reverend Brother Nicholas Zumanaa, the Headmaster of the School, said the first strategic objective set by masters of the school was to improve academic performance of students from the current 97 percent to 100 percent this academic year.

He said out of a total of 237 candidates that were presented for the 2008/2009 West African Secondary Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE), 205 had passes in eight subjects, 23 in seven subjects, six in six subjects with the remaining three passing in five subjects. He said 166 of the candidates qualified to enter tertiary institutions with aggregates between 06 and 24. Rev. Bro. Zumanaa said the school was faced with many challenges such as dilapidated staff bungalows, poor sanitation facilities, inadequate water supply as well as classrooms.

Mr. Samson Abu, Lawra District Chief Executive, commended the school for the numerous successes chalked so far and urged parents to invest in their children education to give them a better future. He pledged that the Assembly would continue to support the school towards addressing some of the challenges. Dr. Wodah Seme Richard, Acting Medical Director, St. Theresa's Hospital, Nandom, told science students who may want to become doctors not to be deterred by conditions in the region and refuse to come back and serve their people.

He said they should always remember that it was in those same conditions that people sacrificed to stay and teach them to become whatever they would be in future.

The occasion was also used to award some hardworking students who excelled in their end of term examinations with Wutor Belang sweeping most of the prizes. Klevor Raymond, a science student and Bada Godfred, a Business student, were also awarded for emerging best students in the last WASSCE exams with aggregate of seven each that was considered to be the best aggregate in the whole region.