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Bishop Tackie Yarboi  Founder and Presiding Bishop of the Victory Bible Church International (Paduan 1979), speaking at the event.Picture: EDNA ADU-SERWAA
Bishop Tackie Yarboi Founder and Presiding Bishop of the Victory Bible Church International (Paduan 1979), speaking at the event.Picture: EDNA ADU-SERWAA

Institute measures to stop students from gambling — Bishop Tackie Yarboi

The General Overseer of the Victory Bible Church International, Bishop Tackie Yarboi, has called on stakeholders, particularly the Ghana Education Service (GES), to tackle the various challenges confronting day senior high schools (SHSs), especially the problem of gambling among students, particularly sports betting.

According to him, many of those who patronised sports betting and gambling were day SHS students.

He called for stringent measures to be instituted to ensure that operators of sports betting centres did not allow students to participate in their activities.

Speech day

Bishop Yarboi, who was speaking at the 13th Speech & Prize Giving Day and the 78th anniversary of the Ebenezer Senior High School in Accra last Saturday, said many day senior high school students were exposed to all forms of peer pressure and influences and thus, needed to be encouraged and motivated for them to desist from activities that could thwart their academic pursuits.

The event was held on the theme: "Challenges of Day Senior High Schools: the role of stakeholders."

Bishop Yarboi has meanwhile, urged the GES, as well as other educational stakeholders, particularly heads of SHSs across the country, to revive the activities of the Scripture Union (SU) on their campuses, noting that while some students had been said to have taken the activities of the SU to the extreme, the SU was also known to have been helpful to many students, particularly in helping them from going wayward.

Appeal

Bishop Yarboi also urged the government to give attention to the development of Ebenezer Senior High School, noting that in spite of the school's age, it had been seriously ignored.

The Global President of the old students association of the school (Paduans), Mr Lloyd Evans, corroborated what the guest speaker said, emphasising that in spite of the school’s age it remained "one of the most deprived SHSs in the Greater Accra Region.”

He said the school had been neglected by the Ministry of Education for too long and that it was time the government took issues affecting the school seriously.

Ebenezer Senior High School was established in 1941 with six students but now boasts 1,654 students, with a staff strength of 141.

Infrastructure

According to Mr Evans, due to the lack of infrastructure, the school would be forced to admit only 90 students in September this year.

"Come next academic year, September 2019, this school can only admit 90 students for the simple reason that it has seven classrooms without the needed chairs and tables," he stressed.

Mr Evans also called on all stakeholders, particularly old students of the school, to support its development.

The Headmaster of the school, Mr Richard Kofi Mensah, in his address, said although the Ebenezer Senior High School was challenged in many ways, it was making every effort to become one of the best in the country.

"Its an undeniable fact that PADUA has produced a great number of professionals who are serving Ghana, home and beyond in various fields,” he said.

Mr Mensah said the school was keenly awaiting the government's promise of giving it a facelift.

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