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For the first time in Ghana’s political history, Abeaseman, a deprived farming community in the Pru district of the Brong Ahafo region can now boast of two massive development projects. The town has been connected to the national grid and now has access to a new Community Day Senior High School.

The projects were jointly commissioned by President John Mahama on Wednesday as part of his ‘Accounting to the People Tour’ of the region.

The school which has a capacity to enroll 1,500 students will immediately absorb over four hundred students in the community. In a brief address, President John Mahama reiterated his resolve to expand infrastructure at the basic and secondary level to create opportunities for the youth to pursue quality education. He said the over 123 Community Day Senior High Schools currently under construction will create space for about 184,500 students over the next few decades.

“I have been asked by many people why we have built such huge edifices to house secondary schools… From Independence to date, we have 567 government assisted secondary schools. There are over 200 privately run, currently, we are building 123 of the E-Blocks. That should give you the scope of the size of the intervention into secondary education. This probably will go on record as the single largest expansion of access to secondary education in the history of Ghana” President Mahama said.

 He added, “We have built them of such a size with an eye into the future. …After Independence, our total population was just a little over six million. After 59 years, we are about 26 million people. This means an additional 20million and so if we are building schools today, we should remember that by the year 2050, Ghana’s population is almost going to be 35 to 37 million and so we must build the schools with an eye to the future”.  

President Mahama tasked various district Assemblies where similar schools are being built to liaise with the Ghana Education Service, School Management Committees and Chiefs to provide additional facilities on the compound to enhance learning.

He announced the allocation of one bus to facilitate the movement of students and teachers. The President who ends his tour of the Brong Ahasfo region on Thursday also spoke about road projects underway to enhance the transportation of goods and services in the area.

The Abeasemanhene, Obrempong Pru Takyi II commended the President for honouring his promise to the people. He took a swipe at those who criticize chiefs endorsing the President saying the best way to show gratitude to a trustworthy leader is to give him what he described as ‘Thank You Vote”.

Obrempong Pru Takyi II who showered praises on the President later conferred the title ‘Oseadeayor’ John Dramani Mahama in recognition of his hard work.  The Chief appealed to the President to re-instate Dr Kwabena Donkor as Power Minister and also appealed for the provision of potable water for the community.

The Asbeaseman Community Day SHS is equipped with 24 classrooms, four science laboratories, two ICT libraries, eight offices for Heads of Departments, one huge main library and 16 places of convenience for both students and teachers.

President John Mahama will on Thursday inaugurate the Remodeled HCIM Block at the Sunyani Polytechnic. He will also make whistle stops and interact with Market Women and Drivers at Sunyani and Berekum markets and later inspect construction of Kyeremaasu - Gambia No. 2 Road. He is also expected to pay a courtesy call on the Nkoranzahene and later in the day inspect the ongoing Kyeremaasu-Gambia No.2 road project.

Present at the event were the Minister for Communications, Dr Omane Boamah, Minister for Education, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang and the NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.