Tamale, Aug. 14, GNA - Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister, on Wednesday cut a sod for the construction of a GH¢6.9 million modern science laboratory for the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale.

Supported with funds from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the project is expected to be completed in 2009 to benefit schools from the three northern regions.

Alhaji Idris said GHANASCO the leading science education institute in the northern sector, noting that the provision of the facility was in recognition of the school's contribution to science development. He noted that the school was the first in the northern sector to manufacture a rocket in the late 1960's through the efforts of a former tutor, Mr La Loji, an Indian. The Regional Minister stressed that the government would continue to provide educational infrastructure for needy schools. Madam Mary Asobayire, Headmistress of GHANASCO, appealed for more infrastructure development to enhance academic work in the school. She said the girls' dormitory was in a bad state and called for the construction of a new hostel to accommodate them to avert any disaster. Madam Asobayire said water supply was also a problem for the school and appealed to the Regional Minister to lobby Bi-Water, the contractors of the Tamale Water Extension programme to extend water to the school. Mr Sylvester Adongo, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the school, expressed concern about the encroachment on the school's land and called for measures to protect the land.

He commended the GETFund managers for the project and advised both the students and teachers to make the maximum use of the facility when completed to improve academic standards of the school. Mr John Kwaku Horbenu, Northern Regional Director of Education, stressed the importance of science and technology in national development and impressed upon science teachers in the region to work hard to help improve standards. 14 Aug. 08