New SHS inaugurated at Mamponteng, Ashanti Region

Our Lady of Grace SHS

Our Lady of Grace Senior High School (OLAG), the latest of the SHS in the district has been inaugurated at Mamponteng, the capital of the Kwabre East District in the Ashanti Region.

The 24-unit classroom block school is a proud baby of the Roman Catholic Church and was largely funded by American Mr. Warren Staley and his wife Mrs. Mary Lynn Staley with support from the Parish Priest of the Our Lady of Grace, Edina Minnesota, USA, Rev. Fr. Robert Schwartz and the whole congregation.

At a colourful ceremony to inaugurate the two million dollar state of the art facility which took just ten months to be completed, the Parish Priest for the St. Joseph Catholic Church at Mamponteng, Rev. Fr. Paul Attah Nsiah said his desire to have an SHS was necessitated because Mamponteng though a district capital lacked an SHS, thus Junior High School (JHS) graduates had difficulties in accessing SHS.

Also, the few schools in the district and its surroundings were also not enough to absorb the graduates. This eventually led to increase in teenage pregnancies and premature mothers.

He said he began with the process of making his dream a reality and began to see the appropriate persons i.e. the traditional authority in the Mamponteng township, educationist and other qualified persons to share in his vision and in just a spate of ten months, the magnificent edifice at Abrade in the Mamponteng township is evident for all to see.

Rev. Fr. Attah Nsiah was very thankful to the benefactors for their kind gesture and assured them that the church will ensure that the facility is used for its right purpose.

He also appealed to the school authorities and the general public to treasure the facility as their own and keep it safe for many generations to come.

He added that preparations are underway to construct dormitory blocks for both boys and girls and bungalows for teachers.

For his part the Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Basic, Mr. Alex Kyeremeh congratulated the Roman Catholic Church for their effort in assisting the government in providing quality education to the people of Ghana, adding that government will also continue to provide all the resources needed for quality education in the country.

He also revealed that from next academic year, the government will liaise with the National Inspectorate Board to ensure that solid systems are put in place at circuit levels to check absenteeism of teachers which is gaining roots in our schools. He added that culprits would be shown the exit from the schools to serve as a deterrent to other teachers who might want to emulate them.

He also appealed to the authorities of the school to make science subjects and other vocational programmes the major courses they will offer to reduce the high rate of unemployment in the country.

He said the high rate of unemployment in the country can also be attributed to the fact that less than 30% of in takes in the senior high levels of our current education are in to science and vocational programmes thus leaving the remaining 70% in the social courses.

Mr. Kyeremeh also revealed that the rate of unemployment can be reduced if most SHS concentrate on science and vocational programmes at the expense of the social related programmes.

The school is expected to take its first batch of students this September and courses to be offered will include General Arts, General Science, Business and Vocational with options for Home Economics and Visual Arts.

Awards were presented to Mr. Warren Staley and his team of donors as a gesture of appreciation for the benevolence.

Also present at the inauguration included the Akyeampimhene, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Samuel Yaw Adusei, Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu, Bishop of the Konongo-Mampong Diocese (President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference), the DCE for Kwabre East, Hon. Adams Iddisah and a host of others.