body-container-line-1
08.09.2011 Social News

Headmasters Tackle Homosexuality In Schools

By Daily Guide
Gay partnersGay partners
08.09.2011 LISTEN

MEMBERS OF the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) have called for specialists to be placed at their disposal to train them on how to deal with homosexuality and the complex drug problem facing students, so as to be able to guide students better.

They have also planned to rope in assistant heads and house staff in order to be equipped with the requisite skills to detect the problem early for solutions to be found.

According to the headmasters, since they managed the mid-field of the education enterprise, which was also where the most vulnerable group could be found, it was imperative they periodically updated on new knowledge and skills to enable them handle the students.

Samuel Ofori-Adjei, National President of CHASS, disclosed these at the official opening of the 49 th annual conference of CHASS, held in Takoradi yesterday.

It was on the theme 'Senior High School Education In Ghana: The Fulcrum Of National Development'.

He bemoaned the inequality that existed in the country's educational system and called for more attention on the less endowed schools so that pressure on the more endowed ones would reduce.

He called on government to, as a matter of urgency, speed up work on infrastructural facilities in some of the schools so as to enable the staff and students to function more effectively.

The CHASS president indicated that the headmasters were not oblivious of the fact that a large chunk of the nation's resources was spent on education, adding, 'If you say education is expensive, try ignorance'.

Mr. Ofori-Adjei also bemoaned what he termed as the public ridicule of CHASS members on national television for breaching the financial laws, regulations and instructions during the recent Public Accounts Committee on pre-tertiary educational institutions, of which senior high schools formed an integral part.

He noted that what happened on national television was in bad taste, particularly for the heads who had barely settled in their seats and were yet to get to terms with the realities on the ground.

'Some were so traumatized that they regretted taking up the positions but I'm sure they've put that behind them,' he added.

He mentioned that with the current increase in utilities, there was the need for the Ministry of Education to also put in place an automatic adjustment formula to review the components of the subsidy which needed to be adjusted as and when necessary.

In an address read on her behalf, the Minister of Education, Betty Mould Iddrisu, called on members of CHASS to live above reproach so that the confidence reposed in them by the Ghana Education Service (GES) would not be in vain.

She noted that the revelations at the recent Public Accounts Committee on pre-tertiary educational institutions was not the best and called on members of CHASS to address the lapses that reared their ugly heads during the examination of their financial accounts.

She stressed that the government would continue to do all that was needed to alleviate the challenges that confronted heads of schools, particularly senior high schools.

The Western Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo, in an address read on his behalf, indicated that government's policy on education laid more emphasis on education of the young ones since they were the leaders of tomorrow.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi
 

body-container-line