Social Education Ministry Chief calls for creation of Ministry of Basic Education

Kpeduhoe, Feb 14, GNA - Togbe Dunyo IV, Dufia of Ave-Atanve, has appealed to the government to create a Ministry of Basic Education as are the cases in Canada and South Africa. This would ensure that vital resources went into building strong foundations for a vibrant basic education as a reliable spring board to higher levels of education. Togbe Dunyo, a Canada based Electrical Engineer, made the suggestion a= t a durbar to inaugurate a block of three classrooms with an office and a store for the Ave-Kpeduhoe Junior High School (JHS) at Ave-Kpeduhoe in the Akatsi District. He said the current arrangement in which all levels of education were lumped together under one Ministry of Education tended to divert the chunk of resources away from the basic level into secondary and tertiary educatio= n to the detriment of basic education. Togbe Dunyo said a separate Ministry of Basic Education would ensure that many pupils from that level would qualify to enter higher levels of education as has been the case with South Africa where 68 per cent of its basic school graduates qualified to enter secondary schools last year. Mr Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, Akatsi District Chief Executive, inaugurated th= e project that was started by Mr Doe Adjahoo, MP for Ave-Avenor. He said the Assembly took over the project which was among 14 educational projects undertaken by the District Assembly in the last two years by the Assembly. He said 14 school projects including a two-unit library and computer laboratory for Ave-Kpeduhoe JHS are currently being tackled while 219 communities are being connected to the national power grid. Mr Nortsu-Kotoe said 6,000 pupils benefited from free school uniforms in addition to 8,000 free exercise books. Togbe Awudi III, Dufia of Ave-Kpeduhoe, appealed for the construction of a kindergarten for the community.