A total of 175 projects have been executed in the Ashanti Region over the last three years to facilitate quality educational delivery, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, the Regional Minister, has disclosed.

The projects, he said, ranged from classroom blocks, dormitories, staff bungalows to the provision of furniture.

They were delivered to expand facilities in educational institutions in the Region, following the implementation of the ‘Free Senior High School (SHS)’ Programme.

Mr. Osei-Mensah, who was speaking at an awards’ ceremony at Patase in Kumasi, said the government’s educational initiative had seen an overwhelming increase in student enrolment

There is, therefore, the need to up infrastructural development to address the expected challenges while providing the requisite space and environment for an interrupted academic work.

The awards’ ceremony was organized by the Kumasi Senior High Technical School (KSTS), Patase, to honour the Minister, as well as the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Osei Assibey-Antwi, for their commitment to educational growth in the Region.

It had in attendance Nana Adu Ansere Sarpong, Chief of Patase, who is also the Abenasehene to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

The two awardees were presented with citations - recognizing their unalloyed dedication to bringing educational development in the Region to standard.

The programme coincided with the inauguration of an 18-unit classroom block funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund to create more learning space at the KSTS, a school with over five thousand student enrolment.

Mr. Osei-Mensah observed that the ‘Free SHS’ Programme was strategically introduced to enhance human resource development in the country.

“Posterity will vindicate the Nana Addo Dankwa-led Administration for introducing this novelty programme,” he remarked and took a swipe at critics of the initiative for being short-sighted.

Mr. Assibey-Antwi lauded the KSTS for the honour, saying, education featured prominently on the government’s development agenda since the sector held the prospects of transforming Ghana’s growth.

For this reason, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) would not relent in spearheading projects meant to improve literacy amongst the people.

The MCE, who started his basic education at the KSTS Primary School, said the Assembly would continue to support distressed schools in terms of infrastructural development for the benefit of pupils and students.

Mr. Haruna Oppong-Boateng, the Headmaster of KSTS, said the authorities were grateful to the two awardees for the zeal they had demonstrated to making the School one of the best in the Region.