The Second Lady, Mrs Samira Bawumia, says the Free Senior High School policy has paved the way for more girls to be enrolled in school for proper education.
According to her, barriers that prohibited girls from going to the SHS, including financial barriers, have now been addressed by the policy and that, it is time for the girl-chid to horn her skills for national development.
The Second Lady said this at the 70th anniversary celebration of OLA Girls Senior High School (SHS) in Ho over the weekend.
It was under the theme: “Reminiscing 70 years of Holistic Catholic Education: The Role of Stakeholders in Embracing Technology as Entrepreneurship for the future”.
Mrs Bawumia said as a result of the free SHS policy in 2017 and 2018 alone, girls enrolment had increased by 11 percent. This, she noted, was a clear indication of the positive impact the policy has brought to girls.
She stressed that the increase in girls’ enrolment at the second cycle level of education was not only about numbers, but also represented thousands of dreams being nurtured and potentials being unlocked. This, in her view, was a clear indication of the values government had placed on girls education.
The Second Lady said the provision of quality education should be regarded as a collective responsibility of all stakeholders including parents, education providers and the communities, which would definitely complement the government’s efforts at providing quality and accessible education in the country.
Mrs Bawumia also observed that COVID-19 had created an opportunity for schools to leverage on technology to improve on teaching and learning through Information Communication Technology (ICT) that would effectively position them to cope with the changing trend of technology globally.
She stressed that the government was using technology and science to address development challenges confronting the country through digitalisation to improve governance, improved financial services with emphasis on mobile money transactions, online and E-commerce among others.
Mrs Bawumia noted that digitalisation had not only improved upon businesses in the country, but had also helped in an improved tax collection system.
The Headmistress of OLA SHS,Ho, Madam Benedicta A.M Agbezudor, said for the past 70 years, the school had promoted holistic catholic education, with discipline being the guiding principle in training of the girl-child to become responsible adult in society. She assured that the school authorities would not depart from the values of the school.
Madam Agbezudor said the introduction of free SHS policy, which led to increase in the enrolment, has also brought about infrastructure challenges.
According to her, the current student population of 4,097 calls for additional infrastructure to help meet the increased student population.
She said the school needed additional classrooms, dining and assembly halls, dormitories and expanded kitchen to ease congestion.
Madam Agbezudor also appealed to the government to provide a bus for the school to promote educational tours. Students who excelled in their studies and hardworking teachers were honoured at the ceremony.
