President John Atta Mills has appealed to teachers to put their shoulders to the wheel and contribute to the development of the educational sector in order to redeem its lost glory.
He said the government would put in place measures to minimize the numerous challenges confronting the education institutions at all levels and provide the necessary motivation for teachers to enhance teaching and learning.
This was contained in a speech read on behalf of the President by the Eastern Regional Minister Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo at the 60th Anniversary celebration of the Benkum Senior High School at Larteh Akuapem.
President Mills said the world had become a global village with the inception of the internet and therefore preparing students for the business world and access to future opportunities necessitate quality education in Information Communication Technology (ICT) at all levels.
He said in view of this the government would do everything possible to ensure that every Ghanaian child acquires knowledge in ICT so that all would be fully equipped to face the challenges ahead through the provision of well equipped Community Information Centres and computer laboratories in schools. The President said adequate resources would be provided for schools pursuing science and technical courses so that teaching would be practical oriented to enable the country have quality trained national workforce.
The President expressed concern about the upsurge in indiscipline among students in all spheres of Ghanaian society and urged the students to eschew all these and concentrate on their studies.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, said the vision of the National Democratic Congress government was to adopt carefully designed policies and programmes that would stimulate and develop the immense talents and resourcefulness of Ghanaians and make them the main drivers and beneficiaries of the national development agenda with special emphasis on the rural and urban poor.
He said government would leave no stone unturned in mobilizing resources in training of the human resource base of the country.
The Headmaster of the school, Nana Addo Gyau Akabisa II, said the school was founded by one Dr Alexander Herman Ansah-Koi in 1949 with only four students in private quarters but today the students' population of the school stands at more than 1,400.
He said the major challenges facing the school were accommodation for the staff and lack of dormitory for students and therefore called on the government to come to the aid of the school.