The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, has intimated that education is a critical factor to building Ghana as a nation.
Speaking at the inauguration of a six-unit school block complex for kindergarten school children at Akyem Apampatia in the Atewa West District of the Eastern Region,;he stated that,;education is important thus the implementation of free education policy.
Mr. Duker also said the implementation of the Free Senior High School was in the right direction. He stated that,;it is because of the critical role of education in nation building that President Nana Akufo-Addo decided to provide Free Senior High School Education.
According to him, the government is pursuing the free Senior High school education policy to give every member of the society the opportunity of gaining quality education.
The Deputy Minister also urged parents to educate their children to help improve their standard of living in the society. Additionally, he tasked the Chiefs and people of the area to adopt proper maintenance culture to protect the facility and the investment made.
Deputy minister on mining
Touching on the fight against illegal mining in the country, Mr. Duker told the gathering of Chiefs,;miners and school children that the Government will support mining firms that undertake responsible and sustainable mining.
He therefore commended the CEO and management of Transeco Minerals and Mining Limited for mining responsibly and;for providing the educational facility to complement governments effort.
Commenting on the community mining scheme and the June 11th Green Ghana Day,;he also thanked the Chief and Elders as well as the community for supporting the national exercise which received massive support from all quarters.
He further encouraged them to plant more trees to protect the environment.
Also speaking at the inauguration,;the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Transeco Minerals and Mining Limited, Mr Godwin Armah, said knowledge sharing is key,;hence their commitment to build a school for the future leaders of the area.
A representative of the Chief of the Area, Barima Osei Adom,;applauded the company for the timely and useful donation,; adding that they will do all in their power to protect the facility.
Quality education has not been compromised
Over the past weeks the free education policy has faced some backlash as;some stakeholders say thee has been a compromise in the quality of education.
However,;the Deputy Minister of Education,;John Ntim Fordjour, has refuted claims that quality education has been compromised for quantity in the implementation of the free Senior High School (SHS).
According to him,;West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results and high teacher-students engagement time have showed that the programme was focused on ensuring quality education and impact positively on beneficiaries.
Mr Fordjour said, despite concerns about the double track system,;it has effectively ensured that more than 400,000 students, who would have been forced to stay at home due to lack of infrastructure, gained admission into SHSs across the country.
Considering the huge number of beneficiaries under the programme,;Mr Fordjour said, government was proactive in rolling it out and addressing the infrastructural challenges simultaneously.
