Accra, July 26, GNA - Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, Minister of Education and Sports, on Tuesday said the Government's policy to upgrade at least one senior secondary in each of the old 110 districts to a model status was being implemented in four phases.

He said under the first phase, 31 schools were currently being upgraded and selection of consultants for supervision for the second phase involving 25 schools was in progress and work on them would take off in the third quarter of the year.

The Minister, who was responding to a question in Parliament, said the selection of schools for the third and fourth phases of the programme would be done when funding was secured and the first phase of the upgrading had been completed.

Responding to another question on what was being done to ensure that salaries of teachers recruited in 2003/2004 were paid on time, the Minister said all the teachers, who had submitted inputs had been paid. He said the only exceptions were the Techiman District pupil teachers, who would receive their salaries at the end of July due to the late submission of inputs.

"All newly trained teachers, who passed out in the year 2003/2004 and were successful have been upgraded and paid," Mr Osafo-Maafo said.

Responding to another question, the Education Minister said under the Local Government Act 462 section 19 (3) d, district assemblies were responsible for the development of basic infrastructure and the provision of municipal works and services within the districts including those of school institutions.

The Minister was responding to a question on whether the Education Ministry had plans to provide teachers with accommodation in Mpohor Wassa East District.

Mr Osafo-Maafo said under a World Bank facility, teacher's accommodation facilities were constructed in some selected districts including the Mpohor Wassa East District.

"With so many deprived communities under consideration for similar facilities, the Ministry of Education and Sports has no immediate plans to provide the Mpohor Wassa East District with more teachers accommodation facilities until other deprived areas, which have not benefited from the provision of any facility, have also been provided with some teachers accommodation."