President John Dramani Mahama has inaugurated a newly completed E-Block at Paga Senior High School in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region, with a pledge to turn the school into a full boarding institution starting next academic year.
The inauguration is part of government's effort to complete abandoned educational infrastructure and expand access to secondary education under the Strategic Secondary Education Investment Program, known as STARR-J.
Speaking at the ceremony last Thursday as part of his Resetting Agenda tour of the region, Mahama said government would absorb Paga SHS as a boarding school from the next academic year, allowing students from across the district and beyond to attend without the burden of daily commuting. He said the Ghana Education Trust Fund would provide infrastructure for a girls' dormitory, boys' dormitory and dining hall to support the transition, and announced that the school would also receive a new 60 seater bus, which he said would arrive even before the boarding facilities are ready.
"We want this school to be a centre of excellence," Mahama said, stressing that the school's success would ultimately be judged by its students' academic performance. He challenged the school community to aim for a 100 per cent pass rate in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
The President said completing the Paga E-Block forms part of wider efforts to close the infrastructure gap left by the Free SHS policy. He recalled that the E-Block program began under his earlier administration to expand secondary school capacity, but many of the projects were later abandoned. He said the 2026 Budget had set aside funds to complete 30 such abandoned E-Blocks nationwide, adding, "we are improving Free SHS in order that the learning outcomes and the quality of education are better."
Mahama said government is investing GH¢3 billion in secondary education under STARR-J to ease congestion and bring an end to the double-track system by 2027, a shift he said would let students attend and vacate school at the same time and increase contact hours with teachers. He also announced plans to build 30 new E-Blocks, particularly in densely populated communities, where they could double as community-based secondary schools.
On health, Mahama assured residents that government remains committed to the Agenda 111 hospital project, announcing plans to complete 35 facilities already at least 70 per cent finished. He also promised action on the Navio Bridge, which has remained uncompleted since its collapse years ago, saying the project would soon be awarded to a contractor. On water, he said he would engage relevant institutions to explore linking distribution systems to improve supply in Paga.
During an inspection of a four storey laboratory complex at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Navrongo, Mahama stressed the need to expand science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to meet the changing demands of the global economy. "We need to train more engineers, scientists and technologists," he said, describing the university as strategically important to the country's development and pledging government's commitment to making it a first class institution.
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, said completing the E-Block marked a major step toward addressing Paga SHS's infrastructure needs, and named several other Upper East schools, including Bolgatanga Central Technical Institute, Gambigo Community Day SHS, Binduri Community Senior High School and Garu Community Day SHS, as beneficiaries of the same school infrastructure program under STARR-J. He also assured students that feeding challenges would not disrupt the academic calendar, saying funding had already been provided to secure adequate food supplies.
The Paramount Chief of the Paga Traditional Area, Pe Charles Awiah Awampaga II, appealed to the President to expand the truck park at the Paga border to accommodate the growing number of heavy duty vehicles transporting petroleum products and other goods to neighboring countries, warning that congestion posed risks to commuters and residents given that some trucks carry petroleum products and explosives. He also called for the completion of the area's Agenda 111 project, improved water supply and a stronger security presence at the border community.
