Zorkor (U/E), Jan. 23, GNA - The Chiefs and people of Zorkor Community in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region have started a Senior High School (SHS) through their own initiative. The School, named Zorko Saint Theresa Senior High School (SHS), begun this academic year and had a population of about 80 students currently taking their lessons at the Catholic Social Centre. The School is being supported by 14 Volunteer teachers who had first degrees in various fields of discipline including National Service personnel.

Mr Emmanuel Nsor-Atindana, Assemblymen for Zorkor Atiabisi/Tarongo said, at the school's benediction ceremony, that although the District Directorate of Education and the Bongo District Assembly had plans to provide the area with SHS, the community was pressurized to initiate the school as students who passed the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) last year could not be placed under the Computerized School Placement Selection System. The District Chief Executive for Bongo, Mr Clement Atia Akugre, commended the community for their laudable project and said it had demonstrated how committed they were to the development of education. Mr. Akugre said education was a powerful tool to development and that was why the Government was committing so much resource into it including the provision of school infrastructure, free school uniforms, exercise books, incentive packages and instituting flexible rules for teachers to update their knowledge through Distance Education. He however stated that government alone could not provide everything to develop the community and that it was incumbent on them to initiate development projects with support from government. Mr Akugre assured the community that the Assembly would provide three classroom blocks including offices with an arrangement to get teachers from the National Youth Employment Programme to teach and appealed to the people to make land available for the construction. He commended the Catholic Church for releasing the structure to be used as classrooms and said it had been contributing significantly to development of education in the country.

The DCE urged the Church to partner the Community, Ghana Education Service and the Assembly to assist the school to grow. He indicated that the Assembly had plans to develop the Zorko Community including the completion of their market structure and the construction of Police Station and a Nurses Quarters. The Bongo District Director of Education, Mr. Francis Agyeere said the District Directorate of Education was ever prepared to support the community in developing the school and promised his outfit would post more teachers to the school. Mr Alexis Ayamdor, Assemblyman for Zorkor-Kanga indicated that the Management Board of the School had already met some of the natives from the area in kumasi who had agreed to contribute to the development of the school. He said they would also meet natives of the area in other parts of the country including Accra to lobby for funds for the building of permanent structures and that workers in the area had promised to contribute. 23 Jan. 10