BECHEM SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY

The Tano South District Chief Executive, Honorable Bukari Zakari Anaba has called on stakeholders in the district to team up with government to deal with challenges that hinder educational development in the district.

Making the call the DCE enumerated a number of problems that hinder quality education in the district. Which were parents lack of interest in education, lack of appropriate furniture, lack of library facilities among others. He stressed that the provision of quality education for children and ensuring that no child is deprived access to education does not rely only on the government but also on the community, parents and other religious organization.

Honorable Bukari Zakari Anaba made this call during the celebration of the 40^th Anniversary of the Bechem School for the Deaf, under the theme “Forty Years of Deaf and Education in the Brong Ahafo Region: Achievement, Challenges and the Way Forward”. He said government has accepted that education should result in the formation of well balanced individual with the requisite knowledge, skills, values, aptitudes and altitudes to become functional and productive citizens.

Mr. Bukari Zakari Anaba hinted that in view of this, measures are being taken by the government to promote quality education in the country by way of increasing public infrastructures, rehabilitating teachers’ quarters, free uniforms and text books and furniture nationwide. He therefore revealed that government is putting measures in place to supply computers and other scientific equipment and sponsorship of the teacher trainees to help reduce the high number of non professional teachers in the country.

In a welcome address the Acting Headmaster of Bechem School for the Deaf Mr. L P Baba said the school which formally housed about 30 students is now housing Three Hundred Eighty one students. He said the increased number has caused conjunction in the school. Mr. Baba therefore called on the Ministry of Education and the government to extend 20% package meant for teachers to deprived schools. This he said would help ease the burden on teachers who use their salaries to support needy pupils who are usually neglected by their parents. The Acting Headmaster therefore urged the government and the Ministry of Education to integrate students of Technical & Vocational Department, to help promote keen completion among the deaf and hearing students

Honorable Bukari Zakari Anaba therefore advised the teachers to put in their best to train the children since their disability should not be children since their disability should not be a hinder to the progress of the country.

Also in a speech, the Director of Special Education Mrs. Rosemond Blay acknowledge pioneers such as Rev Dr Andrews Fuster and Madam Annie Hewit. He said deafness should not be a hindrance to achieving one’s goal. Mrs. Blay said deaf persons can do anything except hear, thus hearing loss or deafness does not affect a person’s intellectual capacity or ability to learn. He therefore used the occasion to urge parents and guardians to show love and concern to their children with special needs by providing them with their basic and school needs. This he noted would make the children happy, study hard and pass their examination creditably.

The Senior Head Prefect for the Bechem School for the Deaf Seth Ansah commended the government and teachers for supporting the school. He appealed to the government and old students to support the school providing T.V.E.T equipments rehabilitation of old dormitories and construction of extra toilet facilities to enable the pupils learn and acquire knowledge.