Lawra, (U/W), July 23, GNA – The Ministry of Education and the National Accreditation Board have approved the establishment of a College of Education in the Lawra District of the Upper West Region.

Mr Samson Abu, Lawra District Chief Executive (DCE) who announced this at the Assembly’s first ordinary meeting on Friday at Lawra, said the college had been scheduled to take off in September 2012.

He said the Assembly had the task of acquiring a vast area of land and commencing the construction of lecture halls, while the Education Ministry took up the construction of hostels.

He expressed worry about the large number of untrained teachers in the District and said the college when established would help to address that challenge.

Mr Abu stated that the education sector was one of the priority areas of the Assembly and that much premium would be put on the expansion of education infrastructure.

He said a total of seven projects had been approved for the district under the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) for 2011.

These include the construction of four number 6-Unit classroom blocks with ancillary facilities at Nandomkpee, Eremon Naburinye, Yikpee and Lawra St. Peters School.

Others are the construction of two number 3-Unit classroom blocks and one Day care center at Berwo and Dikpe respectively.

Mr Abu announced that the Assembly had also distributed over 7,000 pieces of dual desks to schools across the district this academic year.

The DCE gave the assurance that the Assembly’s financial support package to teacher trainees and needy but brilliant students would be enhanced not only to cushion their plight but also to motivate them to return and serve the district upon completion.

He said teacher motivation was a key component in the search for quality education and the Assembly would not relent on its oars to motivate teachers to give off their best.

In this regard, the Assembly in collaboration with the District Education Directorate successfully organised the District Best Teachers Awards during which 33 teachers and non teachers for the years, 2007/8/9 were given various prizes for their hard work and meritorious services to the district.

Mr Abu said another forum would be organised to discuss the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy among girls in the district, the worsening performance of pupils in the BECE and other practices which had the tendency to destroy the future of children in the area.