Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has cut the sod for the construction of a 60-bed capacity girls' dormitory and an attached housemistress' bungalow for Tamale Senior High School (Tamasco) in the Northern Region.

This is the largest single investment in infrastructure since the school was established. 

The project is financed by MTN Ghana, as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Dr Bawumia cutting the sod with the help of some dignitaries

According to Dr Bawumia, in tandem with the vision of the government of President Akufo-Addo, he has, since assuming office, been working to add to “our continuing efforts as a nation to promote the education of the girl-child.

The project, therefore, "is an investment in the power of the adolescent girls which is so important to breaking the inter-generational transmission of poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination in building our societies for a better future"

"Ghana has undoubtedly made laudable progress in education. It is both a goal in itself and a means for attaining all the other SDGs. Under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo, Ghana has chosen a development path that is fully anchored on the principles of the SDGs, and provides a solid platform for the Ghana Beyond Aid," Dr Bawumia stated.

He indicated that supporting the accommodation of adolescent girls is more than increasing access.

It is connected to Ghana’s achievement of the UN SDG 1 (reducing poverty), SDG 3 (promoting better health and hygiene), SDG 4 (providing quality education for all), SDG 5 (promoting gender equality in all aspects of society) and SDG 10 (reducing inequality). Inequality stands as the core reason behind women lacking in economic empowerment, and in honour and dignity.

Complementing the demand for this, Dr Bawumia touched on the interventions into the Free SHS as enforcing the belief of the government of Nana Akufo-Addo since the assumption of office toward working to leave a legacy of a knowledge-based economy.

He emphasised the government’s commitment to making sure that poverty is no longer an excuse for any Ghanaian child not to reach their full potential.  

“In all, 1.2 million children will be enrolled in our High Schools across the country under the Free SHS policy, making it the largest number of students so enrolled in our history. With the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy, Ghana is one of the countries in the world where public education is now free from basic school to senior high school.”

On infrastructure, he said, a “$1.5-billion GETFUND financing has been arranged for educational infrastructure, especially for the construction of 400 school blocks and dormitories. We have doubled the Capitation Grant (from GH¢4.5 to GH¢10) and expanded school feeding to cover additional 500,000 children” as well as “the construction of 21 state-of-the-art Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Centres across the country.”

Additionally, “we have introduced a new standards-based curriculum set to be rolled out from kindergarten to Class 6 in primary schools with a focus on making Ghanaian children confident, innovative, digitally-literate, well-rounded, and patriotic citizens” he continued.

Dr Bawumia also used the occasion to open the Dr. Abdulai Choggu Clinic, the renovated D.V. Owiredu Assembly Hall and inspected ongoing works on a twelve (12) unit classroom block at Tamale Senior High School.

He was grateful to Telecommunication company MTN Ghana, whose benevolence is giving the school an expanded 600 bed capacity girls’ dormitory block and also providing a Housemistress bungalow which will help address the current accommodation challenges facing the Tamale Senior High School.