President Nana Akufo-Addo has inspected work on the construction of the J.A Kufuor Senior High Technical School, the first of a series of model Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) schools government plans to roll out.
The school is located in Dabaa in Atwima Nwabiagya North in the Ashanti Region.
Construction of the school started in December 2019 and is named after the second President of the 4th Republic, John Agyekum Kufuor.
Plans are in the pipeline for the construction of 35 more of such model schools across the country.
Education Minister, Dr Yaw Adutwum has said the classrooms for the STEM project would be fitted with smart boards and every student would have personal computers at their disposal.
“With access to ultra-modern laboratories, students will not only have practical experience but will also be exposed to critical thinking and other activities, which will level the playing field for Ghanaian students.
“This will also help build a solid foundation for the students before they transition into high school and inform their course choices in the future eventually,†he told state-owned newspaper, Daily Graphic in May.
Taking the President on a tour of the facility on Saturday, the Project Manager told the President that the school has a capacity to house some 1,200 students, with the school placing an emphasis in technical education, which would prepare students for jobs involving applied sciences and modern technology.
The school, the Project Manager stressed will be completed in the course of 2022, ahead of the commencement of the 2022/2023 academic year.
The J.A. Kufuor Senior High School is fitted with the full complement of amenities such as playing fields, administrative buildings, libraries, and dormitories. Additionally, the V-Block in the school has a total of 24 classrooms, as opposed to 12 classrooms in the E-Blocks constructed by the former administration.
President Akufo-Addo also inspected work on the construction of the creative arts industry, the very first Senior High School in Ghana dedicated solely to the industry, located in Kwadaso in the Ashanti Region.
The school will equip students for the Arts, through powerful learning experiences, embrace and excel in the arts and academics, whilst working towards their visions of the future.
The Project has been designed to include the following 2-storey administration block; library block; auditorium/theatre (1,300 designed capacity); 4-storey 16-unit creative arts block with ancillary facilities; 4-storey 20-unit classroom block with 4 dedicated laboratory rooms; 3-storey dormitory block; 2-storey dormitory block; dining hall with kitchen; principal’s residence; 2 vice principals’ residence, 2 no. staff flats; sports area; maintenance shed; waste treatment/holding bay; access roads and paved walkways; and gate house.
On Sunday, 3rd October 2021, President Akufo-Addo inspected ongoing work on the construction of Bosomtwe Girls Senior High School, which is being established to promote the participation of girls in STEM education.
The school is complete and equipped with the requisite labs to aid 21st-century learning approaches and methods in science-based learning.
The President was told the construction of an 18-unit classroom block with offices and washrooms and external works was 100% complete. A 4-Unit Science Laboratory Block, being constructed by GNPC, is 90% complete, with the construction of a girls dormitory block currently ongoing.