Accra, Aug. 25, GNA - Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports, on Friday asked the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) to collaborate with stakeholders to check the growing menace of occultism in schools.

He also urged the Union to help to find solutions to the general students' violence increasingly being reported in both secondary and tertiary institutions.

Speaking at the 40th handing over ceremony of NUGS at the Ghana National Association of Teachers' (GNAT) Hall in Accra, Mr Amoah further tasked NUGS to reposition itself to offer useful suggestions on Ghana's education reforms and objectives that were to be implemented from 2007.

He said NUGS could also discuss the Government's major policy interventions like the Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund (TALIF) of 33.4 million dollars established to raise the quality of tertiary level teaching and learning activities, improve research capacities and provide scholarships to students.

The 10-member new National Executives, who were sworn into office by Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, a Legal Practitioner, has Mr William Yamoah, a student of the University of Education Winneba, as the new National President.

The new executive is taking over from the beleaguered Okudjeto Ablakwa's administration, which went through a series of crises. Mr Amoah advised the Union to resolve all its differences and bring all students together to speak with one voice rather than the several groups threatening to break away from the body. He said "NUGS need to reposition itself to regain its credibility to enable it to pursue the interests of students without necessarily being confrontational".

He also asked for cooperation and dialogue from NUGS as a strategic partner capable of offering pragmatic advice and solutions to various challenges, including, youth unemployment, disparities in development in rural and urban areas and the HIV/AIDS menace.

The Deputy Minister pledged to help to source for an office accommodation for the Union upon request by the new President. Mr Yamoah expressed regret that Ghanaian students had not enjoyed the best from the Union over the last six months and gave the assurance that his administration would partner with important stakeholders to design and implement policies that would better the lot of Ghanaian students.

He said during their one-year tenure of office, the leadership would institute a comprehensive hostel facility programme by collaborating with private estate developers both in Ghana and abroad to put up decent and affordable hostel facilities for students in tertiary institutions. He said the "Union shall use radical but non-violent means to resolve all issues involving students and educational authorities=94. Mr Paul Ekow Ackom, Dean of Students, University of Education, Winneba, who chaired the ceremony, advised the Executives to put their political affiliations aside as they took the mantle of leadership and to rather strive to serve the interests of all students. 25 Aug, 06