The Evangelical Presbyterian (E.P.) Church Educational Unit has initiated a nine year development programme to tackle infrastructure and other problems confronting its educational institutions throughout the country.

The 809,200 Ghana cedis “Macedonia Project,” would be tackled in three phases of three years each beginning from the end of 2009 to 2019.

Reverend Winfred Hayford Yao Azornu, Acting General Manager of the E.P. Educational Unit said this at a durbar of the educational institutions in the Ho Municipality to climax its 2009 education week under the theme; “Newness in Christ”.

The project was as a result of recommendations made by an independent Evaluation Committee constituted by the Unit in March this year.

It was to evaluate the operational systems, procedures and structures of some selected schools with the view of implementing best practices for improvement of service delivery in the institutions.

Reverend Azornu said a major stakeholders meeting would be held between the hierarchy of the Church and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to consider the recommendations and modalities put forward by the Committee before implementation.

He said in the interim a number of measures have been developed to ensure best practices in the Church’s educational institutions “as a reflection of our commitment to upholding benchmark standards in the sector”.

These measures took cognizance of the upsurge of immoral practices and disciplinary problems among teachers, students and pupils and their effects on academic progression, he said.

“Newness in Christ,” he said, “suggests living a life of moral uprightness as taught by the Holy Scriptures. By this it implies that you as children of God should be exemplary in the way you conduct yourselves at school, at home and elsewhere”.

Mr Joseph Amenowode, Volta Regional Minister, himself a product of E.P. education, said the Church had been an instrument for easy and affordable educational opportunities for several people in the region and the country at large.

He said the moral education offered by the Church had shaped the outlook and personalities of many of its products serving in various capacities in Ghana and the world long after they had left school.

Mr Amenowode said a total transformation built on honesty, discipline, love, truth and moral uprightness was required in the country’s educational sector.

He told the pupils and students to abstain from pre-marital sex as the surest way of avoiding the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.

Mr Amenowode said the reported drop in the HIV prevalence rate in the country was only of statistical value which did not take away the danger posed by the disease.

He advised the students to practice abstinence and urged them to work hard and be disciplined in order to bring happiness to themselves, their parents and the nation.

Source: GNA