Agona Swedru(C/R), March 21, GNA - The Western Regional Director of Education, Mrs Rebecca Efiba Dadzie, has said that the Ghana Education Service has made provision to train Guidance and Counselling personnel for schools and offices.

She said though personnel in that discipline is inadequate, schools have always identified willing staff members who form the counselling team.

Mrs Dadzie said this at the 52nd Speech and Prize-Giving Day of the Swedru Senior High School (SWESCO) at Agona Swedru on Saturday. It was under the theme, 93shaping Secondary education in Ghana, the role of guidance and counselling".

She said parents being partners in the education enterprise should also guide and counsel the students by showing personal interest in the education of their children.

"They should have time for their children, visit them, know their performance level, and respect their abilities and interests". Mrs Dadzie, who is an old student of the school, said students, as a result of exposure to foreign and other cultures in school, do discover new values which were absent in their society. These exposures, she said, had resulted in the emergence of different lifestyles and that the traditional practice where the parents were the significant people in the upbringing of their wards no longer existed.

She therefore called on the Senior High School authorities and other donor organizations to adequately resource the guidance and counselling unit to play its expected roles.

Mr E.K.T. Osam, the Headteacher of the school, said the increasing population of the school was not proportionate with the infrastructure and appealed to the government to provide additional dormitories to ease congestion. He said the school had 100 percent in the 2009 WAEC examination and has targeted to improve upon it in the coming years. Mr Osam appealed to the government and District Assembly to intervene to curb massive encroachment on the school land. Deputy Commission of Police John Kudalo who chaired the function advised the students to maintain discipline and also take their studies seriously to enable them become useful citizens. Prizes were awarded to deserving students.