A MODERN kindergarten block constructed at a cost of GH¢800,000 for the St Philips cluster of schools at the St Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish in Ho has been inaugurated.
The block comprises four classrooms, an office, a store, a sleeping room, bathrooms and toilets.
The project was funded by the Kinder Mission, a German Catholic organisation with the support of the parent-teacher association (PTA) of the school. The PTA connected pipe-borne water to the school.
The Vicar-General of the Ho Diocese of the Catholic Church, Monsignor Anthony Konu, who cut the tape to inaugurate the building, said kindergartens were considered as nurseries for future leaders hence the need to accord them extra care.
He, therefore, stressed the need for a change in the human psyche towards children, adding that the government and the church should partners each other to achieve that aim.
Monsignor Konu urged teachers and parents to team up to ensure good tuition for pupils to enable them to catch up with the high achievements by private and international schools.
In an address, the Parish Priest, Monsignor Cletus Egbi, said the inauguration ceremony was a great joy because it ended a bleak past where children run away from the school because of its poor facilities.
He said the new block would open the gateway to human advancement and create a legitimate basis for a strong foundation to grow children into better adults.
The Deputy Planning Officer of the Ho Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Francis Kwaku, said a good school building was a prerequisite for excellent service delivery in the education sector.
He, therefore, entreated stakeholders not to relent intheir efforts to provide decent infrastructure for education.
Mr Kwaku said the failure of pupils at higher stages could be attributed to the weak foundation laid at the kindergarten level.
According to him, the results of the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) in the municipality had continued to decline in the past three years.
He added that the pass rates were 60 per cent in 2008, 58 per cent in 2009 and 52 per cent in 2010, adding that nine schools scored zero per cent in the Ho Municipality last year.
The Regional Manager of Catholic Educational Unit, Mr R.K.K. Kwashie, said the importance of kindergartens had been underestimated and given lip-service over the years and that kindergartens were considered as camps of untrained teachers and poor infrastructure.
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