The Vice-President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, presented 100 buses to selected senior high schools in the Northern sector of the country today, 30 July 2020. The buses will support teaching and learning in the schools.
The presentation partially fulfils a promise the government made to donate 350 buses to second-cycle educational institutions that did not receive buses in 2016.
In his speech at the presentation ceremony, Vice-President Bawumia said that the government will soon take delivery of the remainder of the 250 buses.
The beneficiary schools were drawn from the Ahafo, Bono, Bono East, Northern, North-East, Oti, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West Regions.
In March this year, the government presented 365 double cabin pick-up vehicles to district, municipal and metropolitan directorates of education and agencies. A further 493 motorbikes were given to circuit supervisors for effective supervision.
Stewards of education
At the handing-over ceremony on the forecourt of State House in Accra, Dr Bawumia said equipping educational institutions is a top priority for the Akufo-Addo government.
In this regard, he said, the Akufo-Addo-led government has prioritised quality education delivery, to enhance human resource development and accelerate national development.
Dr Bawumia noted that since it assumed office in 2017, the government has been pursuing educational reforms to address logistical and infrastructure challenges.
The presentation of the vehicles will therefore go a long way, he said, to address the logistical constraints and enhance the delivery of quality education to Ghanaian children.
He entreated the beneficiary schools to take good care of the vehicles to serve the purpose for acquiring them.
The Vice-President commended the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, for his stewardship of the sector and thanked the Finance Ministry for making funds available for payment.
For his part, Dr Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education, said the handing over of the buses demonstrates the government’s commitment to reform education in Ghana.
He cited the implementation of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme as a demonstration of the Akufo-Addo-led government’s unwavering determination to ensure that every Ghanaian child has access to quality education.
The minister noted that there have been several attempts to discredit the implementation of the Free SHS programme and countered: “Any government that stifles education has no good intention for the good people of Ghana.”
A question of priorities
Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, the director general of the Ghana Education Service, who took delivery of the keys of the buses from the vice-president, lauded the government for prioritising education and showing great commitment to enhancing teaching and learning in the country.
He pledged the GES’s commitment to take good care of the vehicles to serve the purpose for acquiring them.
The ceremony was attended by Professor Nicolas Nsowah-Nuamah, board chair of the Ghana Education Service Council, Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, and some selected heads of second cycle educational institutions.
Click on the link below to listen to the Vice-President.
Wilberforce Asare / Asaase Radio
Asaase Radio 99.5 – now live on your radio. Tune in or log on to broadcasts online.
#asaaseradio
#TVOL
