POLITICAL PARTIES TO SIGN PACT ON EDUCATION (1B, AUGUST 17, 2010)

POLITICAL parties are to sign a pact to allow the educational system in the country to work for the next 25 years without any major interference, a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has hinted.
According to him, the government was working to get the political parties to sign the pact, since that was one sure way of addressing the interference that tended to dislocate the educational system.
The Deputy Minister was speaking at the opening of the 13th annual congress of the Ashanti Regional Students Representative Council (SRC) held at the Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School (SHS) in Kumasi.
The conference was on the theme: “A well-groomed and empowered student leader – a necessity for effective national development”.
According to the Deputy Minister, the decision to revert to the three-year duration for the SHS had been taken in the interest of educational development and not to toy with the future of students, as some believed, noting that the government would never experiment with the future duration of the SHS system.
Mr Ablakwa apologised to SHS students for any inconveniences that they might face following the change in the SHS duration, promising that the government was moving fast to address the challenges.
He spoke well of SRCs, saying their activities helped in grooming students to become assets, not only to their families but also the entire society.
The Deputy Minister, however, noted that the time had come for SRCs to take a second look at their modus operandi to make them more relevant to society.
He also touched on the National Youth Policy and stressed that it would address the hopes and aspirations of the youth.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, charged parents to honour their responsibilities to their children’s education.
He also advised students to appreciate the sacrifices their parents made and work hard to be of use to themselves, their parents and the nation as a whole.
The President of the Ashanti Regional SRC, Ms Anita Appiah, expressed concern over the “back and forth” decisions on the duration of the SHS and noted that it could put students at a disadvantage in their academic progression.
In attendance was the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr Joseph Onyinah, and Mrs Elizabeth Malik, the Headmistress of Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ SHS.