Phyllis D. Osabutey
The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Frimpong Manso has directed the Presbyterian Education Foundation to make a presentation of ¢20 million to the La Presbyterian Senior Secondary School (LA PRESEC) for the provision of basic facilities in the school as part of an immediate measure to revive the school.
This was announced by the General Manager of Presbyterian schools, Rev. S.K. Mensah at a fund- raising ceremony organized on Sunday by the school's Board of Governors (BOG) in collaboration with the La Bethel Presby church.
On Thursday, June 16, The Chronicle reported the chairman of the BOG, Professor Ablade Glover as having hinted that the school faced an imminent closure by the Ghana Education Service (GES) if nothing was done about the poor state of facilities in the school.
The Board's chairman was further reported as having said that the low morale among both teaching staff and students, which he said was responsible for the poor performance of students in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) over the last couple of years, was the result of the poor state of facilities in the school.
Professor Glover has accordingly called on all stakeholders, past students, citizens of La and well wishers to help save the once prestigious LA SALEM School, which was converted into a secondary school during the commencement of the new education reforms In response to the professor's call, the La Presby District has also pledged an amount of ¢26m to be released to the school in the course of the week, in addition to an ¢8.8m raised on Sunday by the La Bethel congregation in support of the school project. This brings together a total of ¢54.8m to kick-start the first phase of the program to resuscitate the school.
The resident pastor, Rev. Dr. Mensah, who is also the local manager and a member of the school's board, told The Chronicle that a special fund had been set up for the school and by this, there is going to be an identification of 300 prominent citizens of La to give a donation of 1m each.
In addition, he said, 2000 members within the Christian community in the district would be contacted to give monthly dues of ¢20,000 over a five-year period to raise about ¢2.4b to complete a three-block storey-building for the school.
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He noted that the fund raising which was without chairpersons or special guests was to inform members of the church that the Presbyterian church of Ghana now has the full ownership of the school and to sensitize them about the need to support its development ahead of well-organized functions to raise funds for the school.
He expressed his gratitude to the school's Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and individuals who continue to support the school and expressed hope that in a matter of time, LA PRESEC would rub shoulders with other schools in the metropolis.
«Il Mondo non sarà mai abbastanza vasto, né l’Umanità abbastanza forte per essere degni di Colui che li ha creati e vi si è incarnato»
(P. Teilhard de Chardin, La vision du passé, in “Inno dell’universo”, Queriniana, Brescia 1995, p. 76)>>