The Ada West District commemorated Ghana’s Independence with a March Past at the Sege Cluster Of School’s Park. The parade contingents march on parade was outstanding. However, the Zion Care International School was adjudged the over-all best performing School in the march past. In the basic school, boy’s category, the Sege Presbyterian No. 1 Basic school took the first position. Again, the Presbyterian No. 1 Basic School, took the first position for the girl’s category.
In the Junior High School (JHS) level, boy’s category, Winning Faith Academy took the first position whilst Presbyterian No.1 JHS, won the first position for the girls. The Ada Senior High School Cadet secured the first position in the SHS level. Similarly, the Sege D/A Primary School was also adjudged the most disciplined school.
The independence march past is celebrated as a reminder of Ghana’s freedom from British colonial rule and oppression. As the first Sub-Saharan African Country, to attain independence, this celebration is very significant in our history as it marks a new era of freedom. This 68th commemoration of our sovereignty was celebrated under the theme “Reflect, Review and Reset”, signifying a call to evaluate our developmental journey and take pragmatic actions to elevate the country.
Addressing the gathering at the ceremony, the District Coordinating Director, Mr. Kwadwo Buor Gyamfi indicated that the nations independence of the colonial masters was no mean feat and must be celebrated by taking cognizance of all the sacrifices of our fore-fathers. “Their sacrifices were not in vain, and today we reap the benefits of their vision and resilience” he added.
Touching on the theme, the DCD stated that we must “reflect” as a nation by taking stock of the challenges in governance, honestly, “review” key areas that impact our growth and boldly “reset” the nation through innovations, resilience and unity of purpose.
Narrowing it down to the District, Mr. Gyamfi called for a reflection on the journey of the district, taking into consideration the economic, sanitation, healthcare and infrastructural challenges and the efforts made to change these narratives. He reviewed significant improvements in the “road networks, expansion of healthcare services, improvement in infrastructure, quality education and promotion of local businesses.
He noted that the District Assembly contributed to the improvement of the quality of education, by renovating Caesarkope Basic school, constructed a three (3) unit classroom block with ancillary facilities at Sorkope and supplied over one thousand four-hundred (1,400) dual desks to schools in the District. This, notwithstanding, schools in the district have considerable challenges including teacher deficit, non-availability of staff accommodations and inadequate teaching and learning materials.
In resetting the status-quo, he called on all stakeholders, philanthropists and individuals to assist the educational sector in the District. Similarly, he enjoined all to reawaken their spirit of patriotism, sense of responsibility and innovation in order to develop the District and the nation as a whole.
The District Director for Education, Dr. Stephen Arthur, delivering his speech, commended the District Assembly for the continuous support to education in the district. He enumerated key educational interventions Implemented by successive governments to improve the quality of education nation-wide. Some of them included the Free Senior High School, School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grants, free Uniform Provision among others.
He revealed that despite these interventions, quality education in the district is still appalling. “A look at the performance of our Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates, shows that most of our students perform below expectations- less than 45% pass rate (6-30) in Ada West District”, he expatiated.
This abysmal performance he attributed to absenteeism, parental neglect, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and inadequate teachers due to limited teachers’ accommodation in the deprived communities. However, significant initiatives are being implemented to address these challenges. They included raising of funds for the construction of teachers’ accommodation in the deprived communities and organization of community durbars across the district, to sensitize all stakeholders to prioritize children’s education.
In the same vein, he also appealed to all, to collectively support the education service delivery in the District. He desired that a conducive and enabling environment would be established to enhance the quality of education and improve upon student performance. He commended the staff of Ayisa D/A Basic School for their enormous efforts to raise the educational standards in the district, regardless of the district-wide challenges.
The ceremony was graced with the presence of profiled dignitaries; including the Member of Parliament for the District, Hon. Daniel Keshi Bessey, Traditional leaders, leaders from the religious bodies, the security services, Hon. Assembly Members and their party executives. There were also health workers, staff of the assembly, teachers and the general public.
The celebration showcased rich Ghanaian culture through dances, music, poetry recitals and drum appellation. The police commander together with the directors inspected the parade and the gathering song the national anthem to rekindle their patriotism. The parade contingents were made up of fifteen schools from across the district. All participating schools were awarded with certificates of participation for the outstanding performance. The parade was under the command of Ada Secondary Technical school (ASTECH) cadet.
ISD-AWDA
6th March 2025