Divine Grace School holds first graduation (27/04/09)

THE Divine Grace School at Weija, which consists of nursery, primary to junior high school level, has held its inauguration and first graduation ceremony.
Fourteen boys and 13 girls graduated from the JHS level.
The Director of Education for Ga West Municipal Assembly, Mr Daniel Budu Asiedu, who addressed the ceremony called on the private sector to compliment government’s efforts at providing formal education for children of school age.
He noted that government had to collaborate with the private sector to achieve goals of the Education Strategic Plan which states that every Ghanaian Child who is of school age should be in school by the year 2020.
Mr Asiedu said formal education was crucial to the socio-economic development of a country, adding that any effort to inculcate knowledge, skills and moral values in the young ones of the society were commendable.
He congratulated the founders of the school for their vision of establishing the school and noted that if an individual was denied formal education, that individual became a liability to the society.
Mr Asiedu said it was important for all stakeholders to collaborate to ensure that children were given the opportunity to access quality education, adding that "If placement by the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) was anything to go by, then one could say that about 70 per cent of placements in the top senior high schools (SHS) were always taken by children from the private schools".
He said this was evident that the private schools were playing their role in the provision of quality education effectively.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Mary Theresa Ashun said since its establishment, the school had excelled in many competitions including French and General Science quizzes, sporting activities and recently qualifying to the next stage of a spelling bee competition.
She said the school had awarded 25 students with full scholarships, while 15 have been given half scholarships.
The headmistress said the school was striving to help the children develop holistically so that the high standard required of them would be fulfilled.
She called on philanthropists and benevolent organisations to help the school equip its Science laboratory and the library, as well as complete the construction of a three-storey classroom block, to compliment the delivery of quality education in the school and double the school’s enrolment.
The Member of Parliament for Weija, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, observed that the private sector had contributed immensely to the development of the country.
She urged the staff of the school to teach the students and nurture them into becoming responsible adults and advised parents to spend more time with their wards in order to encourage them in their academic life to help them excel.
Mrs Ashun said the school had a population of 466 students with 39 teaching and non-teaching staff.
The Assembly Member for Bortiannor Electoral Area Mrs Vera Boamah advised parents to visit the school often to see how their wards were doing.
She appealed to the Ministry of Education to reconsider the embargo placed on the supply of text books to private schools.