Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, on Thursday inaugurated a GH? 650, 000 St Paul’s Roman Catholic Primary and Junior High School at Atronie in the Sunyani Municipality

The school, which was constructed by the Catholic Diocese of Sunyani, was initiated by Father Martino Corazzin, an Italian missionary and a parish priest.

It was jointly funded by Carlos de Zulueta Cebrian and Manos Unidas of Spain, Kindermissionwerk of Germany, Caritas Antoniana of Italy and the City Council of Pamplona, as well as the City Council of Zizur Mayor, Spain.

It has a kindergarten, teachers’ quarters, canteen, sanitary facility and a mechanised borehole, jointly drilled by the Gastronomic Society from Treviso in Italy and the City Council of Berrioplano in Spain.

St Paul’s Catholic Community also contributed GH? 20,000 towards the completion of the project.

Mr Nyamekye Marfo noted that a sound classroom environment played a pivotal role in promoting quality education and that explained the government’s comprehensive programme to eliminate “schools under trees”.

“The provision of this facility therefore poses a challenge to parents, pupils and teachers,” he said.

He said it was incumbent on teachers to render selfless and dedicated services to help the students to achieve academic excellence.

The regional minister expressed concern about parents who shirk their responsibilities towards their children and rather channel their resources on frivolous activities.

Dr George Adjei-Henne, Regional Director of Education, said the importance of education could not be over-emphasised since it was “the key to development and the weapon to fight poverty, ignorance, fear and superstition”.

He emphasised that the training of children in school is a joint and shared responsibility of government, parents, teachers, the church as well as the pupils.

Dr Adjei-Henne said the government regards the church as a partner in development and that was why even though the facility was financed by the church, the government would recruit and pay teachers and some of the non-teaching staff.

He observed that any school with a well-functioning School Management Committee and Parent Teacher Association had very conducive atmosphere that promoted sound educational delivery and good results.

Right Reverend Mathew Kwasi Gyamfi, Catholic Bishop of Sunyani Diocese, advised parents to show keen interest in the education of their children by providing them with learning materials and facilitating their moral upbringing.

He advised management of the school to adopt the culture of maintenance and collaborate with Atronie traditional council to ensure that the facility is taken good care of.

Bishop Gyamfi thanked the sponsors for their benevolence and said good management of the school would encourage the church to seek for more donor support to assist the academic facility.