Academic work won't suffer-Fobih

18-01-08
Page 10

Academic work in the various schools which are being used as hostels for supporters and officials for the Ghana 2008 tournament which begins on Sunday, January 20, 2008, will not be affected, Prof Dominic Fobih, the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, has stated.
He said the necessary arrangements had been put in place to ensure that schoolwork went on smoothly and that among the steps taken, the Ghana Education Service (GES) would add a few weeks to the academic calendar at the second-cycle level to make up for the time lost during the tournament.
Prof Fobih indicated that as a result of the May/June West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the final-year students of the 16 affected schools were in school to prepare for their examinations, adding that students would be relocated temporarily in case there was the need to accommodate more soccer fans.
First and second-year students of some senior high schools (SHS) are on break as a result of the use of their facilities during Ghana 2008.
Some schools located in each of the four host cities are being used for the tournament.
The affected schools are: Accra Academy, Labone SHS, Presbyterian Boys’ SHS and Achimota School, all in Accra; Opoku Ware School, T.I. Ahmadiyya SHS and Kumasi Academy, all in Kumasi.
The Tamale SHS, Ghana SHS, Northern School of Business and Business SHS are those being used in Tamale, while Ghana Secondary/Technical School, Fijai SHS, St Mary’s SHS, Apowa, Saint John’s SHS and Sekondi College are the schools to be used in Sekondi/Takoradi.
Prof Fobih said there was the need to use the facilities of those schools to ensure that fans had places to lay their heads during the tournament, adding that fans needed to be comfortable as they enjoyed the tournament.
He gave the assurance that the period students would stay at home would not have any effect on their performance and charged parents to play the role expected of them to ensure that children used their time profitably.
“People are following the Ghana 2008 tournament closely to ensure that there is no hitch. It is the duty of everyone to ensure that it goes on smoothly,” he said.
Prof Fobih reminded Ghanaians to extend their usual hospitality to the guests to make their stay here a memorable one.
Accommodation facilities at three public universities — the University of Ghana, Legon, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Education (KNUST), Kumasi, and the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale — are also being used to host soccer fans during the tournament.
Apart from the accommodation facilities, the football fields of the universities are being used as training pitches for the participating countries. The pitches have been given a facelift to ensure that teams had the best of fields for training during the tournament.
The Public Relations Officer of the University of Cape Coast, Mr Jeff Onyame, said although the university was not part of the Ghana 2008 tournament, its halls of residence were being used as hostels for supporters.
He said by the time school re-opened on February 1, 2008, majority of the supporters would have left for students to occupy the halls of residence.