My gov’t will prioritise girl child education – Prez. Nana Addo

• Posted on March 27, 2017
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

THE President, Nana Addo Dunkwa Akufo-Addo, has charged parents to effectively play their role in the educational development of their children, especially the girl-child.

The President made this call at the at the 90th anniversary celebration of the Krobo Girls Presbyterian senior high school.

The President reiterated the need for parents to take on the challenge of providing for the needs of their children in school to help government realise it’s vision of providing unfetted access to education for all in three country.

It is in furtherance of this vision that he said his government will beginning the next academic year commenced the implementation of the free Senior High education policy. 

“So that no one in Ghana is left in any doubts,” President Akufo-Addo explained that “by free SHS, we mean that, in addition to tuition, which is already free, there will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer lab fees, no examination fees, no utility fees; there will be free textbooks, free boarding and free meals, and day students will get a meal at school for free,” he reiterated.

The President added further that free SHS will also cover agricultural, vocational and technical institutions at the high school level. I also want to state clearly again that we have a well-thought out plan that involves the building of new public Senior High Schools and cluster public Senior High school.

He noted that leadership is about taking hard decisions and choices the reason why his government has taken the decision to utilise the country’s mineral and oil resources to educate and empower the population. 

Additionally, he said government would invest in the development and training of teachers in the country as well as ensure their Welfare. 

He assured that government facilitate affordable housing schemes for teachers in the country as part of efforts to ensure teacher’s Welfare are catered for.

The President said government would facilitate distance learning for teachers as part of efforts to adequately equip teachers for the task of raising the next leaders for the country.

The Minister for Gender and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba, who was co-chair person of the programme, admonished the students to rise above anything that would limit their ability to unleash their full potentials in their academic pursuit. 

She noted that government, on its part, is in the process of inviting a mentoring programme for girls in schools across the country to help nurture them for higher national service.

“We want to initiate a mentoring program; a girls-girls leadership program in all the schools, from basic to tertiary and as well as within the communities to ensure that we know our rights and we understand what it is to be a woman who is an equal partner in society, no longer women behind but side by side with our men as equal partners.

“In conclusion, I want to say to you, be bold, be confident, be respectful. If you wear a short dress, it’s fashionable but you must know that it can attract somebody who would want to rape or defile you. You must be responsible for the choices you make”.

By Daniel Nonor, Accra