Accra, June 12, GNA- Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Minister of Education Science and Sports on Tuesday called for community investment in education to ensure the provision of quality delivery of education to the Ghanaian students.

"If we want Ghana to become the roaring Africa and be equal with the Asian tigers, then education must be seen as a responsibility of all in the development of our country".

Papa Owusu-Ankomah said this when he launched the 70th anniversary celebration of Zion College (ZICO) under the theme: 'Second Cycle Education in Ghana- The ZICO concepts'. He said the challenges that faced modern education was the lack of community involvement and commitment adding, " As a nation, we must have a passion for education which remains the bedrock for development". Papa Owusu-Ankomah said there were still boys and girls who had passed junior Secondary School with good grades but are unable to enter Senior Secondary all due to the lack of community investment. " Though government scholarships exist, the state alone can not bear the cost and so community involvement remains paramount". He noted some challenges, which was facing our educational system as the falling academic standard, access of students to information and communication technology as well as the lack of basic infrastructure to aid teaching and learning.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah acknowledged the bad state of the school and assured the school of government's support to improve the conditions and also provide them with a school bus. Ms. Vincentia Kaledzi, Headmistress of the school said the school, established 70 years ago as a joint venture with only a few students at Anloga in the Volta Region currently has a population of 800 students. She noted that though the school had produced many prominent men and women for the country, less development in terms of infrastructure had been realised.

Ms. Kaledzi said the school was faced with a number of problems, including; lack of classroom blocks, library, teachers bungalows, school bus, among others and appealed to the government to come to the aid of the school through GETFUND to provide these and other facilities. The 70th anniversary is scheduled to take place first week in December.