All SSSs to receive GETFund

Wa, Nov. 19, GNA - Mr. Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport on Thursday announced that the government would give all the 500 senior secondary schools part of the GETFUD to enable them undertake infrastructure development projects on annual basis. He said the plan would not only promote development at various schools but would also reduce the undue concentration of development in certain schools in the country.

Mr. Baah Wiredu, who announced this to newsmen at Wa, after his four-day tour of the region, said the allocation of GETFund was based in the past on ability to lobby the GETFund administration but the current system would give all schools equal opportunities to develop their potentials.

"In allocating the facility to various schools enrolment will be a major consideration. That will determine the amount the schools would get.

The Minister said under the new system, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools would all enjoy the allocation, while a reserve account would be on standby.

On the new education reforms, he said the government was setting up a national teachers council which would, among other things motivate teachers through personal housing schemes, personal motor-vehicles scheme to encourage teachers to give of their best.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said 50 schools have been selected nationwide for upgrading under the minimum challenge fund, 30 under African Development bank and others under HIPC fund .

He said a new senior secondary school each would be built at Wethiau, Funsical Gwollu, the new district capital capitals in the Upper West Region, while Lasia Tuolu Secondary School in the Wa West District would be provided with electricity, dormitory block and other basic facilities.

He appealed to teachers at the primary and the junior secondary school levels to put up their best to encourage retention of children in school.

Mr. Baaha Wiredu said Issa Youth Leadership Training Institute had been offered 330 million cedis to support students to bid for vocational jobs to make them self-reliant.