Regional News of Tuesday, 13 December 2005

Source: GNA

Ministers tour Nkoranza

Nkoranza B/A, Dec. 13, GNA - Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State In-Charge of Tertiary Education and Mr. Kwame Ampofo-Twumasi, also Deputy Minister of Education Youth and Sports on Friday paid a working visit to Nkoranza during which she inspected facilitates at the Nkoranza Shalom School for the mentally handicapped and the Secondary/Technical School. The Nkoranza District Chief Executive, Mr. James Kwabena Appiah-Awuah and the District Director of Education, Mr. Kwabena Agyemang-Badu jointly conducted Mr. Kwame Ampofo-Twumasi, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkoranza South and Ms. Ohene round the two schools.

At the School for the mentally retarded, the two Ministers stressed the need for parents with disabled children never to hide them in the homes but rather enrol them in the special schools to enable them to acquire knowledge and skills that would not make them liabilities for the family in particular and the nation in general. She was grateful to Dr. Inneke Bossman, a medical officer at the St. Theresa's Catholic hospital at Nkoranza for her role in the establishment of the school in the area for such children who might have been neglected in the communities by their own parents. Mr. Godfrey Yuopor, Headmaster of the school complained that the school lacked space for infastructure expansion and that had resulted in inadequate dormitory facilities for boarders in addition to teaching materials

Mr. Yuopor commended the two Ministers for visiting the school and pleaded with them to use their good offices to help promote the growth and development of the school, which, he added, was also serving such children from the northern sector of the country. At the Nkoranza Secondary/Technical School, Ms. Ohene urged the students to take their studies seriously to become useful citizens in future. She announced that government has put all the necessary structures in place to provide the school with needed equipments for the Science Resource Centre, including a bus to facilitate easy movements of students and staff.

Mr. Ampofo-Twumasi in fulfillment of a promise to the school, donated 100 desk valued at about 17 million cedis and 10 bundles of roofing sheets towards the rehabilitation of the boys' dormitory. Mr. Amporfo-Twumasi promised the school four footballs, two sets of jerseys, a dinning hall, a complex kitchen, electricity and access road among others, to boost the image of the school. Mr. Kuffour Abdallah Khalid, Assistant headmaster of the school, on behalf of the staff and students praised the Ministers for visiting the school to find out their problems.