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The Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr Kofi Sarfo Kantanka, has advised school authorities not to name school blocks, dormitories, facilities and streets after personalities without prior approval from the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES). Speaking at the inauguration of a12-member governing board for the Ejisuman Senior High School at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, he said that practice undermined the laid-down procedures of the GES in relation to the development of education in the country. Touching on the relevance of the concept of board of governors, he said it was based on the policy of community participation in education, which is accepted as an indispensable part of the process of quality education delivery by the Ministry of Education and the GES. Cordial relationships He stated that the boards were to foster and harmonise cordial relationships between schools and communities and ensure adequate support from communities to schools. Mr Sarfo Kantanka indicated that the activities of schools and communities whose interest the schools served were linked together and pointed out that the academic excellence of any school depended, to a large extent, on right moral training, discipline and harmonious relationship among the school authorities, the board and the community. He said apart from assisting the headmistress to discharge her duties in the effective running of the school, the Ejisuman governing board was also responsible for controlling the general policy of the institution, subject to directives from the Ministry of Education, to ensure good administration of funds through the examination of financial and audit reports. He said the board was also expected to take active interest in the activities of the PTA, especially in the imposition of levies for development projects, which should have the initial approval of the board before the Director-General of the GES, through the regional director of education, to avoid any financial difficulties for parents. In her welcome address, Madam Grace Amoh-Adjei, the Headmistress of the school, congratulated the new board and urged the old board to continue to support the school in soliciting funds and other logistics to cater for the needs of the increasing number of students. Collaboration of stakeholders Nana Ofori Amanfo, the Nkabomhene of the Ejisu Traditional Area and former member of the board, who chaired the function, said the development of the school should not be the sole responsibility of the board and the school administration but a collaboration among all stakeholders. Rev Fr Atta Nsiah, a member of the new board, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed their appreciation to the government for the honour done them to serve the school and said the board would exhibit good leadership qualities for the development of the school. The board members include: Mr Kofi Sarfo Kantanka; Mr Adjei Mensah, the Ejisu/Juaben Municipal Director of Education; Ms Grace Amoh-Adjei, the Headmistress; Mr Paul Hayford Amuah, representing the PTA; Mr Nison Ato James, Ms Linda Kwarteng, both representing the Ejisu/Juaben Municipal Assembly, and Mr Brazie Lranway, representing the teaching staff. The others are: Ms Christiana Acquah, representing the non-teaching staff; Mr Desmond Afranie Antwi, representing the old students; Mr Kwaku Ofosu Tenkorang and Mr John Dapaah.