Education remains inevitable weapon for economic transformation - UW Minister

Upper West Regional Minister Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan has urged young people to see education as a priority, since it remains a potent weapon for economic transformation and speedy development of every society.

'There is no society that can advance and be able to cope with the dictates of global trends without paying attention to its culture and education,' he said: 'Culture and education are bed fellows in our contemporary world'.

Alhaji Alhassan who stepped in for the First Lady Mrs Rebcca Akuffo-Addo during the celebration of the 42nd Kobine Festival of the people and chiefs of Lawra, said Government had instituted pragmatic education policies and programmes to tackle challenges in the sector.

The government was poised to address the country's physical infrastructure deficit in the education sector through construction and maintenance of classroom blocks as well as providing furniture and other logistics to schools.

The Minister said steps were being taken not to compromise the quality of education with the introduction of the free Senior High School (SHS) policy that tackled the accessibility challenge.

The Government introduced a Double Track System early this year to contain over enrolment, following the introduction of the free education policy in senior high schools in 2017.

Alhaji Alhassan said Ghana School Feeding Programme was receiving much attention than before with school enrolment in Lawra Municipal growing by 14,457 and covering almost all Primary and Kindergarten (KG) schools in the Municipality.

Naa Puowele Karbo III, the Paramount Chief of Lawra Traditional Area, said quality education was the hallmark for human resource development in every community as well as a vehicle for achieving knowledge and skill development.

He expressed worry over falling standards of education in Lawra Municipality, saying: 'The declining standard of education in our Municipality over the years has been a major concern to our development, which needs to be tackled hands on'.

He was also unhappy about the apparent neglect of parental responsibilities towards education of children as well as lukewarm attitudes of some chiefs and community leaders to school management within their jurisdictions.

Naa Karbo III called on stakeholders to play their roles to support government's pursuing of its pro-poor educational policies to ensure that no child was denied the benefit of education in Ghana.

'Let me state without any hesitation that we the Chiefs and people of the Lawra Traditional Area are encouraged and impressed by the bold and visionary policies and initiatives government has taken so far towards the development of the country,' he said.

GNA

By Abubakari Ibrahim Wangara, GNA