General News of Tuesday, 25 July 2017

Source: starrfmonline.com

Summon Napo over abandoned Mahama schools – MP

Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh

The Member of Parliament for the Ashaiman constituency, Ernest Henry Norgbey is asking Parliament to summon the Education Minister over delays in the completion of over 100 Community Day Senior High Schools started by the Mahama administration.

Ernest Henry Norgbey wants Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh to appear before the Education and Government Assurance committees with a guarantee that the schools dotted across the country will be completed.

According to him, one of such abandoned projects is in his constituency depriving inhabitants of its benefit.

“I want to use the opportunity to also invite the committee on education because this is within their purview, the committee on education and also government assurance to summon the minister to reassure the people of Ashaiman for that matter Ghanaians that these projects will be completed.

“It’s not only in Ashaiman though, we have similar projects all over the country and we are expecting that they should be completed so that they can be put to use because huge monies have been invested into these projects we cannot let them go waste like that,” Norgbey told Starr News.

Former President Mahama initiated a project to have 200 Community Day Senior High Schools constructed across the country with financial assistance from the World Bank. The former President argued the policy was to improve access paving way for introduction of progressive free education at the Senior High level.

Many of the schools were, however, not completed before the NDC exited power after losing the 2016 elections.

The Ashaiman MP who is on a crusade to get one of such abandoned projects in his constituency completed filed a question to the Education Minister in Parliament. The project according to the lawmaker was supposed to have been completed in 2015.

The Minister in his answer disclosed the contract for the project will be abrogated and re-awarded given the delay, something Mr. Norgbey has welcomed.