The North Dayi District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Edmond Kudjoh Attah, says the Assembly had strategically put in place programmes that would support the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy to succeed in the area.
He also promised stakeholders that the Assembly would not relent in providing the needed assistance to the three SHS in the District.
Mr. Attah further said the Assembly had identified inadequate infrastructure and furniture in the three schools since the introduction of the free SHS, and decided to address the problem to make the free education policy a success in the district by providing adequate classrooms for the schools.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a six-unit classroom block for the Vakpo SHS last week Friday, the DCE reaffirmed the commitment of the Assembly to live up to expectation, saying it had also embarked on other projects in the schools to remove bottlenecks that affects teaching and learning.
He observed that through the collaborative efforts of stakeholders, the dreams of the Assembly were being fulfilled in the educational sector of the District, and assured the audience that other needs of the Vakpo SHS, such as modern toilet facility for the boys and girls, would be provided, as well as the water problem confronting the school would become a thing of the past.
The DCE urged the students and school management to, as a matter of importance, adopt the culture of maintenance to prolong the lifespan of the facility, adding that most of the time facilities provided by government were not taken good care of, as such structures were destroyed within a short period, and called for an attitudinal change to protect them for future generations.
Mr. Attah also called on the traditional authorities in the Vakpo Traditional Area to exert their powers and stop developers from encroaching on the Vakpo SHS land.
He stressing that the District Assembly would have no other alternative if the encroachment continued than to prosecute those involved, because the Assembly would not countenance negative practices that would affect education in the area.
The District Education Planning Officer, Mr. Maxwell Amenu, lauded the activities of the District Assembly over the years, which had promoted quality teaching and learning, including the provision of school infrastructure, such as classrooms, dormitories, dining hall and classroom furniture for schools in the area.
Mr. Amenu said the District Directorate of Education was satisfied with the level of commitment demonstrated by the DCE and the Assembly in the promotion of education at all levels in the area, and called for more support for the three SHS, and gave the assurance that the facilities provided by the government would be protected and used for the intended purpose.
The Headmaster of the school, Mr. Joshua Yao Vidzro, said the school, established in 1965 with 32 students, could now boast of a total student population of 1,213, with 95 teaching staff and 42 non-teaching staff.
Mr. Vidzro said the hallmark of the school was high discipline among the students, which culminated in high academic performance that made it possible for the Vakpo SHS to be placed among the first ten best performing schools, and holding the 8th position in the region.
He observed that even though the school offered elective Information Communication Technology (ICT), it did not have a computer laboratory to aid quality teaching and learning of the subject, and appealed to the Assembly to help build a laboratory for the school.
Mr. Vidzro mentioned lack of accommodation for teachers, lack of modern toilet facilities for boys and girls, no potable water and encroachment on the land by private developers as some of the challenges confronting the management of the school.
