Spio-Garbrah donates scholarship directory to Ghana Library Authority
A former Minister of State, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has urged the government to consider the voices asking for a review of the educational system and not to dismiss them as mere critics.
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Differing opinions, he said, should not be considered as an effort to find fault but as a way of improving on the educational system for the benefit of the country.
“So the government should consider all the elements and different levels of education, and then see where to put much effort and resources and see what the effect is both on the quality of teaching and quality of learning, and the quality of resources that are available,” he said.
He, however, indicated that in spite of many ups and downs in the educational system, the country’s educational sector remained among the most competitive in Africa and other developing countries.
Mr Spio-Garbrah made the comment when he presented 250 copies of Ghana Directory of Scholarship and Financial Assistance to the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA) to offer students and the public a directory of sources of educational funding.
The Ghana Directory of Scholarship and Financial Assistance (GDSFA) is a 200-page collection of foreign and local sources of financial assistance and scholarships on offer to Ghanaian students eligible to apply.
It contains 500 aggregated sources of scholarships that are reviewed every year to meet the numbers of financial assistance and scholarships available.
The presentation, which was a gesture by Mr Spio-Garbrah ahead of his birthday celebration, was also to create awareness about the Ghana Directory of Scholarships and Financial Assistance.
The donation also involved reading and interactive session by Mr Spio-Garbrah with learners of the Apostolic Church Academy, Happy Days Academy, Bishop Girls Basic and Ga Mashie SDA schools.
Presentation
Mr Spio-Garbrah indicated that the directory would assist students, especially those in the second cycle schools, to plot out much more effectively the numerous institutions they might wish to study at.
He expressed appreciation to the church Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for helping to fund the directory and was hopeful that churches and organisations would help fund future directions as well, adding, ” we plan another directory that would go beyond the shores of Ghana “.
Importance
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Library Authority(GLA), Hayford Siaw, who received the books on behalf of the library commended GDSFA for the detailed research work in the compilation of the materials which would be made available to the public.
“Relevant materials on the shelf at a public library have a direct contribution on patronage”, he said.
Mr Siaw said it was important to increase the number of books on a shelf and the network of public libraries because the country’s population was increasing rapidly.
However, he encouraged corporate institutions to collaborate with ABCDE and GLA to print more copies of such materials and make it available and accessible to the public.
