Takoradi, Sept. 10,GNA- Mr. Samuel Ofori-Adjei, President of Conference of Heads Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), has expressed distaste at the way some of its members were publicly embarrassed on national television for breaching financial laws, regulations and instructions at the recent sitting of the Public Accounts Committee.

He expressed this sentiment at the 49th Annual Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools in Takoradi on Wednesday. Mr. Ofori-Adjei said that it would have been better if the probing was done 93Back stage" instead of parading and humiliating the members on national television. He said the programme was in bad taste and some heads of Senior High Schools were traumatized and regretted ever taking up their positions.

Mr. Ofori-Adjei said that the leadership of CHASS could have been brought into the picture to contribute their quota in putting things right. "We will not pretend that all our members are angels and as human beings, we shall remain fallible at one time or the other on life's journey".

Mr. Ofori-Adjei said the meeting was to enable the members take stock of their activities for the past academic year and strategize for the new academic year.

He said it also serves as a platform for cross-fertilization of ideas to enable the members to perform better in the coming year. Mr. Ofori-Adjei reminded his colleagues of the enormous responsibility placed on their shoulders in terms of the human resource development of the nation and urged them to live up to expectation.

The CHASS President appealed for speedy completion of educational infrastructure in some Senior High Schools to enable them carry on academic work because of high student population.

"Let's not widen the yawning gap existing between the well-endowed and less-endowed Senior High Schools but we should rather give more attention to the less-endowed ones so that the pressure on the more endowed schools is reduced," he advised. He also appealed to the Ministry of Education to put in place an automatic adjustment formula to review the components of the government subsidy as and when it becomes necessary. The President of CHASS advised his colleagues to periodically upgrade their knowledge and skills to enable them to effectively and efficiently handle students for an accelerated national development.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Western Regional Minister, Mr. Paul Evans Aidoo, said education provides the basis and propels the development of a nation.

"Basic education for instance provides the foundation in literacy, numeracy and citizenship-training whilst Senior High education prepares individuals to acquire specialized skills for the world of work and also provides grounding for further education at the tertiary level", he added.

Mr. Aidoo noted that the Government has declared this decade the era of human resource development and is ensuring that the education of young ones, especially at the pre-tertiary level receives adequate attention.

The Regional Minister indicated that the Region benefited from the construction of 105 six-unit classroom blocks with ancillary facilities,16 two-unit bedroom semi-detached teachers bungalows, seven three-unit classroom blocks with ancillary facilities, 10 dormitory blocks and 17 two-storey 12-unit classroom blocks with ancillary facilities.

This, he said, would help promote education in the Region for an accelerated socio-economic development.