Regional Minister commissions school block

Jasikan, (V/R), Nov. 30, GNA - The government has identified quality education at the basic, secondary ad tertiary levels as the most effective facilitator of the socio-economic development of the country.

The government was, therefore, expending huge sums of money in the provision of the necessary infrastructure and other logistics and requirements to educational institutions.

This was made known by Mr. Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister at the official opening of a 95- million cedis rehabilitated, Saint Peter Claver Roman Catholic Primary Schools block, at Jasikan on Friday.

He, however, said the government can not shoulder the entire cost of education in the country.

Mr. Owusu-Yeboa, therefore, called on individuals, churches, foreign governmental and non-governmental organisations to supplement government's efforts.

He commended the Most Rev. Bishop Gabriel Akwasi Ababio Mante, Bishop of the Jaiskan Diocese and persons through whose vision and support the school building was rehabilitated.

Mr Owusu-Yeboa said students, pupils and teachers should feel sufficiently and reasonably safe and comfortable in their new school environment as a result "better disposed to effective teaching and learning as the case may be." He, however, said good and safe physical structures alone without discipline does not ensure good education and training work.

"Discipline on the part of both the teacher and pupil is needed to enhance effective teaching and learning", the Minister stated.

He entreated the Catholic Church and the management of the school to take necessary steps to ensure that pupils of the school were taught the way "they should go so that when they grow up they would not depart from the right path". Most Rev. Mantey said it was regrettable that some pupils and students especially in the rural areas were attending schools in buildings used by grandfathers when they attended school and now dilapidated.

He commended the school Management Committee, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the Jasikan District Assembly for the support they gave the Church for the rehabilitation of the school.

The Most Rev. Mantey urged parents to take proper care of their children, adding that, they should try to motivate teachers to enable them perform. He appealed to the Regional Minister to propose to the government to provide a well-equipped technical workshops and science laboratories for all Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) in the Volta Region to improve the teaching of technical and vocational skills.