Ajumako-Bisease (C/R), March 27, GNA - The government has voted 323 million cedis for the completion of the Bisease Secondary Commercial School girls' hostel in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam district.

The hostel, which started in December 2000, is at a roofing level and was designed to accommodate 400 girls when completed.

Mr Ato Essuman, Chief Director, Ministry of Education Youth and Sports, announced this in a speech read for him at the second speech and prize-giving day of the school on Saturday at Bisease. It was under the theme: "Quality education for development".

He pointed out that the quest for development as a nation will continue to remain an illusion until people develop structures that can ensure the provision of quality education for children.

"We cannot move forward with an educational system that is plagued with problems such as lack of basic structures, inadequate provision of text books and high level of indiscipline among the students".

The Chief Director said the recent publication by the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports league table on SSSCE results will not only generate healthy competition among schools, but also expose schools that have tended to rely on past glories without realising that their standards were falling.

He said Ghana could reclaim its glory in the provision of quality education if all stakeholders would put their hands together. "The time has come for us to disabuse our minds of the notion that it is the exclusive responsibility of government to ensure the provision of quality education. Each one of us have a role to play," he stressed.

In a speech read for him, Reverend Ama Afo Blay, Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, underscored the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ITC) in teaching and learning, saying it was an area that could enhance the delivery of quality education in the country. She commended the school for establishing a science resource centre and expressed the hope that it would facilitate effective teaching and learning of the subject.

Rev Afo Blay was happy that the school was bolstering the GES' initiative on girls education.

She appealed to parents to foster closer collaboration with teachers to ensure discipline and to create an enviable name for the school. The Central Regional minister, Mr Isaac Edumadze, commended the school for its high academic excellence and gave the assurance that the district assembly and his office would assist the school not only to maintain standards but also to improve upon them.

Mr Edumadze advised parents to be frugal to enable them to invest more in the education of their children.

On HIV/AIDS, the Minister said the fight against the disease would only succeed if people changed their sexual lifestyles.

He appealed to the public to live a morally upright life to save the nation from having to dissipate its financial and other resources in fighting the disease.