Ningo Chiefs Asked To Invest In Youth Education

Chiefs of the Ningo Traditional Area have been advised to invest in the education of the youth.

They were asked to set up education funds to secure the future of the youth in their localities.

The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing and Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram Constituency, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, gave the advice at a sod-cutting ceremony to start work on a 12-unit building at the Ningo Senior High School in the Ningo-Prampram District.

The project which is to be funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to compliment efforts being made in the area to provide educational infrastructure, forms part of the 21 projects being undertaken by the GETFund.

He said development was best undertaken at the grassroot level.

Hence he challenged the chiefs, as part of the local governance structure, to work at bringing into fruition, the kind of development they

wanted to see in their communities.
Mr Teye Mensah advised them to take interest in the future of the youth, by putting in place measures for their security.

“Set up an educational fund for instance, into which you will commit a percentage of revenues accrued from land sales, from which you can contribute to the development of our youth, ”he advised.

The minister said the government saw education as a priority and would continue to make policies that would improve the educational system.

Contractors of the school which has a student enrolment of 1,200 and 43 teachers conducted part of its science classes under trees.

Students expressed worry about the lack of an administrative block, library and a proper science laboratory and teacher accomodation, and said with all these, the school had to compete equally with schools which have better conditions.

Apart from the problem of accomodation for the male students, students had to take their examinations in shifts; the same manner in which they had to take their meals and eat under trees.

The Headmaster of the School, Mr E. N. Q. Botchway said water was a major problem facing the students who had to wait for tankers to deliver water before they could prepare for classes.

This situation is however affecting the finances of the school, he added.

He said the Founder of the school, Mr W. G. Nartey visualised it as a foundation on which to establish a university for people of the community.

He complained about encroachment on portions of the school’s mile square land.

Mr Botchway attributed this to the government’s failure to compensate land owners since it took over the school in 1992.

He is of the belief that concern for the youth’s education must be expressed through the provision of infrastructure and basic needs .

He said the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) constantly came under pressure in times of crisis.

The PTA Chairman, Reverend Jonathan Bettey, said the PTA was constructing an assembly hall for the purposes of school gatherings and dinning .

According to him, 70 per cent of the work was done and hope it could be completed soon.

He said teachers had to commute long distances to the school to teach.

According to a source, other GET Fund projects which are being carried out in the school has not been completed despite extentions given to completion dates.

According to the Assistant Foreman at the site, Mr Henry Odamtey, 90 per cent of work has been done and is expected to be completed by the end of April.