RELATE PROGRAMMES TO OIL INDUSTRY (PAGE 11, AUGUST 2, 2010)

THE Minister for Energy, Dr Joe Oteng Adjei, has challenged students in second-cycle institutions to delve into programmes relevant to the emerging oil industry in Ghana to enable them to become proficient in oil management.
That, he said, would enable Ghana to produce the needed manpower capable of contributing more meaningfully towards the efficient management of the oil industry for sustainable socio-economic development to take place.
Launching the 40th anniversary of the Jachie-Pramso Senior High School (JAPASS) at the GNAT Hall in Kumasi, Dr Oteng Adjei noted that oil extraction in Ghana was no more a mirage but a reality, stressing that very soon Ghanaians would appreciate its significance and contribution towards the development of the economy.
He said the time had come for heads of second-cycle institutions to strategically position themselves by offering programmes that would be more beneficial to their students.
“The emerging oil and gas industry in Ghana offers opportunities to all sectors of the economy and many institutions are bracing themselves up to take up positions. The opportunities arising from this new industry are enormous,” he said.
He challenged the board, parents and old students of the school “to pool resources to enhance the image of this school”.
He said it was through their collective effort that they would be able to provide quality education for their children and wards.
In his address, the Chief Executive of Goldstreet Consults, Mr Mark Kakraba Ampeh, lauded past and present administrators of the school for their selflessness and commitment which made it possible for it to produce students who were contributing in diverse ways towards sustainable national development.
He mentioned Professor Ken Agyemang Attafuah, a political scientists, human rights lawyer and expert in criminology; Mr Simon Osei Mensah, the MP for Bosomtwe; Mr Francis Konadu Yiadom, an excellent property investment consultant; Nana Joseph Wireko Ampem of ECOBANK and Mr P.K.B. Asamoah, a lecturer at the Planning Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, as the few examples of products of JAPASS who were positively impacting the forward march of Ghana.
He said inadequate boys’ dormitories, classrooms, a library and teachers’ accommodation were some of the challenges facing the school.
He said the school also needed to refurbish the science laboratory and develop a computer laboratory with accessories to make the students keep abreast with Information technology.
He, therefore, appealed to all stakeholders to support the school in diverse ways to accelerate its development.
In her welcoming address, the Headmistress of JAPASS, Ms Asuande Eshun-Famiyeh, said academic work in the school has been growing steadily over the years.
She said out of the 290 candidates presented for the WASSCE in 2009, 208 passed in eight subjects, while 58 passed in seven subjects.
She said none of the candidates failed in English or any other subject and, therefore, commended the teaching staff for their commitment to the academic work of students.