Two training colleges have started training teachers to teach French in schools as part of the government's policy to encourage the learning of French- the official language of the country's immediate neighbours.

These are the Wesley College in Kumasi and the Bagabaga Training College in Tamale. This would augment the effort of Mount Mary Training College in Somanya, which has historically produced teachers for French.

This was announced by President John Agyekum Kufuor in his State of the Nation Address to Parliament on Thursday.

He said the mastering of the French language was of such practical necessity that it should be put on the priority list.

"I can testify to this myself from the constant embarrassment I come face to face with while I move around the Sub-Region. There are many times that I wish I could do without translators. In this era of ECOWAS, I do not wish this handicap on any Ghanaian child," he said.

President Kufuor said the pressure on tertiary education was still severe and many young people who should be able to access university education were unable to do so.

He said government appreciated the role of religious and other institutions that had moved to fill some of the gap with the establishment of private universities.

President Kufuor said the government was keenly aware of the many problems facing the state universities and was continuously strategising to find the resources to deal with the crumbling infrastructure, overcrowding, lack of facilities and the difficult conditions students and lecturers face.

He said: "Government is endeavouring to modernise and enlarge capacity in the universities. In the meantime, I appeal to heads of the faculties and students to make the best out of the limited facilities available."

On educational infrastructure, President Kufuor said the rural-urban divide in the quality of schools was real and it undermined the developmental efforts of government.

He said work had started on the project to upgrade one Senior Secondary School (SSS) in each district and 30 of them would be completed this year.

President Kufuor said this should help in bridging this divide and would hopefully ease the intolerable pressure on parents, students and heads of schools during the annual scramble for places in the well-endowed SSS.

In the meantime, government was discussing a scheme in which some of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) funds would be used to establish scholarships for bright students from deprived rural areas to gain admission into the more established schools, he said.

President Kufuor said the rehabilitation and construction of classrooms was proceeding with the urgency that was required and by the middle of this year, every school child in Ghana would have a desk to use and access to basic textbooks.

He said modest gains had been made in raising the level of enrolment and retention of the girls in school adding, "this is an ongoing crusade which must be embraced by all to be effective".

President Kufuor said while work on the rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the schools was gathering momentum, progress was also being made with improving upon the numbers and quality of teachers as well.

He said the number of students in teacher training colleges had risen to 8,500 from 6,000 in 2000 and the first batch of students participating in the In-In-Out-In Teacher Training Scheme was out in the community and their progress was being monitored keenly.

President Kufuor said government was not unmindful of the sacrifices inherent in the teaching profession, adding that within the constraints of the economy, government was trying to upgrade the conditions of service of teachers especially those in the rural areas to restore teachers to the respected status they used to enjoy.