NAVASCO appeals for emergency projects

By Godfred A. Polkuu, GNA

Navrongo (U/E), Oct. 21, GNA – Madam Mercy Babachuweh, the Headmistress of the Navrongo Senior High School (NAVASCO) in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality, has called on government to consider the school in its recent emergency projects intended to end the double track system.

She said not a single project has been earmarked for NAVASCO, even though the school has officially drawn the attention of government to its challenges.

The Headmistress, who enumerated some challenges of the school at the third Nabia (Old Students) co-sponsored speech and prize giving day celebration, said the student population of nearly 2000 relies on only 35 computers without internet connectivity.

Speaking on the theme: “Promoting quality gender-parity education in Navrongo Senior High School: opportunities, challenges and the way forward,” Madam Babachuweh said the choice of the theme sought to highlight the huge disparity between male and female students of the school.

“For instance, there are ten as against four houses for boys and girls in that order,” the Headmistress said.

She said NAVASCO has no road-worthy bus for study tours and other visits adding that “we undertake some of these activities by relying on public transport”.

She said staff bungalows are not enough to accommodate staff, which has compelled about 45 members of staff to stay out of campus and commute to school daily, adding that the few available bungalows for staff required renovations.

Madam Babachuweh said the effect of the situation was management’s inability to engage all staff for out of classroom activities, especially at night, adding that NAVASCO has 105 teaching and 79 non-teaching staff, nine national service personnel, two Nation Builders Corp (NABCO) workers and 11 volunteers.

She said the top priority of the school was a fence wall which would not only protect the school land, but would curb truancy, as the lack of fence allowed students to leave the campus at will.

In spite of the numerous challenges of NAVASCO, the Headmistress said, the school scored 61 per cent in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2017 and 2018 respectively, which increased to 68 percent in 2019.

Madam Babachuweh said government’s intervention in the form of extra classes and orientation on how to answer examination questions and commitment by teachers and students resulted in the improvement of the results.

She commended government for the introduction of the buffer stock which she said eased the challenges associated in the past with food supplies in the school.

The Headmistress also expressed gratitude to the Member of Parliament for the area for the ongoing construction work on two toilet facilities sponsored by the Ministry of Water and Sanitation.

GNA

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