50 SHS project to delay due to lack of funding
Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Tertiary, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said the money which was allocated in the 2013 budget to fund the 50 community based Senior High Schools is “woefully inadequate” thus the failure to begin the project and complete it on schedule.
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Government in the 2013 budget stated that it will build 200 new community Day Senior High School, 50 Community Based Schools and 10 Colleges of Education across the country but work is yet to start on all the projects.
However, according to Mr Ablakwa, there is not adequate resources to start the projects, adding that, “but we are making allocations that we can start with although it will not be enough to take us through the full hull to finish.”
He told Citi FM that the projects had not started because, “the fact of the matter is that, if you look at the architectural designs and the estimates which have been done, if we would go by the full compliment of the President’s vision (have a modern senior high school with modern facilities, headmaster’s bungalow, staff bungalow girls dormitory, boys dormitory) then one school is to cost about Ghȼ 11 million. So you will admit that the Ghȼ70 million that we allocated in the GETFund formula is woefully inadequate.”
Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa also said the old districts without Senior High schools at all, new districts without Senior High schools at all and old districts that have Senior High schools but are under pressure will have new schools.
He revealed that latest by December 22, President Mahama would cut the sod for the 200 Senior High Schools to start.
Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa also said a committee has been set-up to supervise the establishment of a new University for Sustainable Environment Development and Research in the Eastern Region.
"We have not laid this draft bill before parliament. I must indicate to you however that we remain up-beat that we will meet this target. The committee headed by Dr. Christian Amoako Nuamah has done a good job. This draft bill is almost ready. I have seen the draft; they have done a lot of work with the contents and nature of university that has to be in the region. I will say that a lot of the paper work in terms of faculty what should go into the nature and status of the university has been completed. We just have to present this draft bill to parliament and we are quiet confidant that before the year ends we should achieve this target," he added.
