Apowa (W/R)-Ghana, Nov. 01, GNA – The Saint Mary’s Boys Senior High School has marked its 75th speech and Prize-Giving Day at Apowa in the Ahanta-West Municipality with a call on stakeholders in education to equip learners with global competences.
This they said would help learners to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes for the rapid transformation and development of society.
Professor Victor Mensah, an old boy of the school, who made the call, noted with concern that “though learners in recent times were equipped with knowledge and skills, attitude was missing in the Ghanaian context” and charged stakeholders in education to reverse the trend.
Speaking on the theme,” 75 Years of Quality Education: The Way Forward in The Era Of COVID-19 And Digitisation”, Prof. Mensah reminded stakeholders that “a good quality education provides for learners with capabilities to aspire to become economically productive, develop sustainable livelihoods, contribute to peaceful and democratic society and enhance individual world being”.
He added that the education system promoted lifelong learning and enhanced global citizenship for sustainable development which met the needs of the present generation.
Prof. Mensah said learners must imbibe virtues such as discipline, honesty, hardwork, morality, respect for the elderly and patriotism in the quest for a holistic society.
He also called for an educational system that inculcated sound moral principles into learners to manage and conserve the environment adding that, “the way we are managing our environment and natural resources,suggest the end of the world”.
Touching on the ravaging effects of COVID-19, he said it had widened inequality everywhere and that the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 was huge with the loss of millions of jobs and its adverse effects on education.
Prof. Mensah said COVID-19 had shown that students, parents, and teachers must learn about digitisation, adding that online teaching became an alternative in the era of COVID-19 to avoid the human interface.
The Western Regional Director of Education, Mrs Felicia Agyeibea Okai, on behalf of the Ministry, paid glowing tribute to founding fathers of the school and congratulated the Board of Governors, past and present principals, and teachers, the Old Students Association, the PTA and current students for the enviable achievements so far.
She recalled interventions made by the Ministry of Education and the GES in the wake of the COVID-19 such as education on remote teaching via zoom meetings and virtual learning.
She said the GES appreciated the benevolence of the Catholic Church, the Old Students Association, and the PTA for their sterling contribution in the delivery of superior quality education in the school.
Mrs Okai emphasized that the Regional Education Directorate was working to consolidate gains of the free Senior High School policy.
She said the school had produced great men and women in enviable positions around the globe and charged all to support the vision of the school to continue to improve its laurels and make it one of choice.
Headmaster of the school, Rev Fr George Eduayaw Ansah said the school was a key stakeholder and would continue to partner the government to promote quality education.
He said 78.9 per cent of candidates who sat the 2021 WASSCE, qualified for tertiary education and that though management was not fully satisfied with the results, the number of single digits superseded the previous years.
Rev. Father Ansah appealed to the GETFUND to completed a-14-unit classroom block awarded on contract 14 years ago which stalled at the roofing level.
He said access roads were in bad shape and appealed to the government to asphalt them to give the school a general facelift.
The headmaster lauded the government for providing a new dormitory block to the school.
Head prefect of the school Master Joshua Akuoku Eshun reiterated the call for school roads to be put into good shape.
He expressed wary about the lack of beds in the. dormitories and appealed to individuals and organizations for the needed support in the regard.
