Wa, March 7, GNA - Mr. Fabian Balieb, Upper West Regional Director of Education, has said that Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the region were facing problems, including inadequate accommodation, which could affect t= he admission of new students for the next academic year.

He said that there was congestion in most of the schools, following the admission of many students that were placed on the Computerized School Selection and Placement System.

These came to light when GNA interviewed educational authorities, including school heads, and students on problems facing schools in the region. Mr. Baba Osman, Upper West Regional Economic Planning Officer, said there were on-going infrastructure projects in some of the schools but th= ey were not specifically meant for the four-year Senior High School programm= e. He said that it would take a long time to complete some projects because of budgetary constraints and delay payments to contractors and th= e inability of some contractors to deliver the projects on schedule.

Reverend Sister Janis Gbiel, Headmistress of the St. Francis Girls S= HS at Jirapa, called for the building of more classrooms and dormitories and=

the provision of potable water, to enhance teaching and learning. She said that the educational institution would not be able to admit=

more students for the next academic year because of inadequate facilities= .. Rev. Sister Gbiel appealed to the contractor executing the new assem= bly hall project to expedite action on the work and expressed worry that the water project too was been delayed. At the Wa Senior High Secondary/Technical School, Mr. Richard Y. Gandaa, a Science teacher, said inadequate science equipment, lack of adequate educational infrastructural and inadequate number of teachers we= re some of the problems that many schools could face next academic year. Master Hashim Abdul-Latif, a form three student of Wa Islamic SHS, called on government to build more classroom blocks and dormitories to accommodate the large number of students. 7 March 10

Attention recipients, item 05 ends first cast.