The John Gatsi Educational Foundation held a ceremony on Friday, at the Bagome Brotherhood JHS in Dzodze to commemorate its 10 years anniversary and awards.
This year’s ceremony marks a decade of support and significant approach, towards the improvement of education by the Foundation in the Ketu North Municipality and beyond.
In a statement delivered by Madam Patience Efua Dogbey, the headmistress of Bagome Brotherhood M/A Basic ‘A’ School, she noted that the John Gatsi Educational Foundation, has been of immeasurable significance to the promotion of education within the Municipality.
“I choose to call today’s event a ‘special ceremony’ because this year’s event is not ordinary, but a ceremony marking ten years of hard work, dedication, sacrifice and patriotism from our brother, father, son, uncle, from the Ketu North”.
” …A decade of promoting education in Ketu North is no joke. The John Gatsi Educational Foundation has been of an immeasurable significance for us”. She noted.
She, however, lamented that the performance of pupils from the public schools has continually been poor, a phenomenon she blames on lack of proper supervision in the public schools.
“Torgbui Chairman, there is a very disturbing trend of results building up from the performance of pupils in the basic schools. It’s no doubt that private schools are producing better results as compared to their counterparts from the public sector. Something I believe we are going to see manifest again in today’s Awards probably”.
Staff of Vehem Mawunyo International School receiving a citation as the overall best school in the Ketu North Municipal Assembly
“Personally, I believe that one of the thousands of factors the private schools use to achieve results is the strong and good supervision, which seems not to be working well in the public sector”.
The Guest Speaker, Mr. Kaledzi, a retired educationist, admonished the pupils to abandon the joy and comfort of today, for a better tomorrow.
“Success or prosperity hides itself in the tail end of a tortuous, narrow, rough path. Therefore, it’s only those who persevere that can get to the tail end of that path, and for that matter achieve success or prosperity”.
“Traveling to that end is for those who are self-disciplined. I advise you all to abandon the joy and comfort of today for a better tomorrow”.
Mr. Kaledzi equally challenged the government, to desist from the ‘unnecessary’ interference in matters of education, for the good of Ghanaian children.
“Government should stop the unnecessary interference in matters of education. Teachers and managers of education should be given the free hand to fashion out the best educational policies that can inure to the benefit of the children and the nation.”
“The situation where foreign educational policies are imposed on the Ghanaian system is destroying our educational system and the children”.
The founder of the John Gatsi Educational Foundation, Professor John Gatsi, revealed that the focus of the foundation is to contribute to the growth of school children, and to provide the bases for the assessment of the work of teachers and the pupils, who take part in the annual competitive essay and examination.
Nathaniel Lanyo of Vehem Mawunyo International School was adjudged the overall best pupil“We believe we have made a significant impact because anytime the children hear that they are going to write John Gatsi Educational Foundation’s competitive exams, everybody wants to be selected. So it has actually developed that competitive learning spirit, teachers also see it as an indirect way of assessing their work in their various schools.”
“Today, we have awarded the best school; so other schools work very hard for the awards. That’s the kind of competitive spirit we have generated among the schools, and that’s exactly our focus.”
“Over the years, it has also afforded us the opportunity to engage the teachers, we bring resource persons to take them through training services to work better. We also engage the various stakeholders after our reviews and the issues that come up are addressed by the Municipal educational authorities, which reflects in the results of the children”.
Professor John Gatsi has called for a spirited commitment towards the development of key areas of the Municipality, saying no single individual can do it all alone.
“The idea of this foundation was generated when I was reading my Masters in Sweden. I picked that community spirit from some whites, who were in their small ways contributing towards the growth of their communities through donations to charity. I believe no single individual can do it all alone. I am therefore calling for a spirited commitment from other people to join in supporting the other sectors as well”.
The event which was graced by stakeholders, Chiefs, selected schools and parents, was used to award deserving teachers and students who excelled in the John Gatsi Educational Foundation’s competitive essay and exams.
Mr. Eric Christopher Dzikunu of the Penyi-Pedo Tamekorpe Zion Basic School, was adjuged the best teacher in the Municipality. He went home with a double door refrigerator, a citation in his honour, and an undisclosed packaged prizes.
Mr. Wisdom Agbogli of the Bagome Brotherhood M/A Basic School and Mr. Kwame Galley, of Tadzewu R/C Basic School, were adjuged the 2nd and 3rd best teachers within the Municipality, and were awarded a citation and an undisclosed packaged prizes.
Vehem Mawunyo International School, was adjudged the overall best school, producing a total of 5 awardees including, Lanyo Nathaniel, who emerged as the overall best student.
By: Abdul-Iddrisu Faisel/awakenewsonline.com