Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah cutting the tape to commission the projecti
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has pledged to ensure that all communities in the constituency benefit from development projects that would improve the residents’ lives.
The minister, who doubles as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Takoradi, told his constituents, “As your MP, I will continue to bring more projects into Takoradi and the Western Region.”
The Regional Minister stated this when he commissioned an ultra-modern two-unit kindergarten block for Howard Memorial School in the Takoradi constituency.
The project was funded from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) at a total cost of GH¢538,000.
It was completed in three months and comprised of a mechanised borehole, washroom and store room.
The Regional Minister revealed that he had lots of complains to the effect that the number of school children in the Howard School was dwindling due to lack of kindergarten facility at the school.
“And so there was the need to construct the KG block to feed the primary section of the school,” he disclosed.
He pointed out that the current government is poised to provide quality education right from kindergarten to the tertiary level.
He, therefore, debunked assertions by some people that the government was only investing in the senior high schools to the detriment of basic schools.
“Takoradi constituency alone has had five kindergarten classroom blocks under this government. So the Nana Addo Dankwa’s government is consistently investing in basic education throughout the country,” he stressed.
He said in 2015, when basic school pupils wrote the English Proficiency test conducted by the British Council, Ghana, only two per cent of the children passed.
“Under the current government, 38 per cent of the children passed in the same test. So we are investing and seeing results,” he noted.
He said at the senior high school level, students were recording 48 per cent pass under past governments.
“Under this government percentage pass is around 75 per cent. So no one can say Ghanaians are not getting quality education under the current NPP administration,” he added.
He appealed to the authorities of the school to ensure proper maintenance of the facility.
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Abdul Mumin Issah, said the assembly would continue to provide the requisite facilities to enhance quality of education in the area.
The headteacher of Howard Memorial School, Grace Ayeh-Dankwa, pledged to ensure the proper maintenance of the classroom block.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi