Tsito-Awudome, March 18, GNA - Togbe Gbogbo Dake XII, Chief of Tsito, has observed that the undeserved prominence being given to occultism in the content of African movies being screened in the country was having a bad influence on the youth.

He said such occultist movies make the young ones unduly superstitious and that the situation could shatter their sense of logical evaluation of issues.

Togbe Dake was speaking at the 43rd Honours Day and Parent Teacher's Association (PTA) dedication ceremony at the Awudome Secondary School on Saturday at Tsito-Awudome in the Volta Region. The Honours Day was on the theme: "Building the Nation Through Quality Education: the Pivotal role of Parents, Teachers and Other Stakeholders".

He called for collaborative efforts of parents; teachers and the communities to tackle the issue before the phenomenon of weird beliefs adulterate the focus and development of the youth.

Togbe Dake said youth indiscipline, particularly; their involvement in illicit drugs and sexual scandals must also be fought. Speaking on the theme, Dr. George Afeti, Principal of the Ho Polytechnic, said the status of discipline in school at a particular time must be seen as an important dimension of quality education". "School authorities, with the support of parents, should formulate and enforce strategies to check negative peer effects and influences in Senior Secondary Schools," Dr Afeti, who was the Special Guest of Honour, stated.

He held that quality education should give the beneficiary quantitative, literary and essential life skills, as well as, other practical knowledge and competencies.

It should also contribute to making the recipient a responsible citizen and nurture the learner's creative and emotional development. Mr Afeti said the quality of education could be compromised if there was inadequate supply of resources such as textbooks, computers, classrooms, laboratories, libraries and teachers.

He stated that quality education is expensive and underscored the need for parents and guardians to appreciate the fact that government alone cannot fund it. "It's a reality," he added.

On the other hand, "the alternative to greater financial involvement of parents in their children's education is the perpetuation of mediocrity in our educational system".

Dr Afeti drew a correlation between teaching time and student achievement, citing recent studies indicating that, "much time allocated for instruction is lost due to teacher absenteeism, shortage of classrooms, lack of learning materials and weak discipline. These findings are further reinforced by another study by an international donor agency conducted in 25 Senior Secondary Schools in Ghana, which revealed that actual contact hours are only 65 percent of the instruction time or timetable hours, he added.

He described the teacher as "the pivot of achieving quality education," saying countries such as Canada, Cuba, Finland and the Republic of Korea have all achieved high education standards because they held the teaching profession in high esteem.

Mr Godshold Olympio Bonuedi, Headmaster said the school, which houses a total student population of 1,435, comprising 695 boys and 740 girls, was doing well in all areas with results improving every year. He however, expressed disappointment with their performance in Mathematics and French.

Mr Bonuedi commended the PTA for its support for the school in diverse ways, including giving financial incentives to teachers to motivate them to put in additional effort.

Miss Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of Education responsible for Tertiary Education, announced cash incentives of 200,000 cedis for girls who got grade 'A' in Elective Mathematics, Core Mathematics and French, and 150,000 cedis for boys who achieved the same grades. She said teachers of those subjects would receive 50,000 cedis for each student who got grade 'A'.

A monument was unveiled in honour of the PTA, while a 58-seater Tata bus costing 650 million cedis and a bungalow valued at 450 million cedis, both financed by the PTA were presented to the school. Mr Samuel Gyang, Volta Regional Director of Education, cautioned members of the public, especially chiefs, not to put pressure on school authorities for the release of the bus for funerals and other social functions.

The Awudome Secondary School was established by the Tsito Native Teachers Association in 1963 and absorbed into the public system in 1965. 19 Mar 06

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