Akontombra MP supports private school teachers with food items

The Member of Parliament for Sefwi-Akontombra Constituency in the Western North Region, Mr Alex Djonoboah Tetteh, has presented food items worth GHC40,000.00 to 600 teachers from 40 private schools in the constituency.

The items comprised; 600 (5kg) bags of rice, cooking oil, sardines and an undisclosed amount of money.

The beneficiary teachers are made up of 120 teachers from Kramokrom zone, 300 from Nsawora zone and 180 from Akontombra zone.

Mr Tetteh who is also the Western North Deputy Regional Minister, said the donation formed part of measures to support private schools during this trying times of COVID-19 pandemic.

The MP said COVID-19 had negatively affected all spheres of life and teachers in private schools were no exception.

He said he was moved by the fact that teachers in the public sector continued to earn their salaries at the end of every month even though they were not attending school, while private school teachers were not paid because they were paid from school fees and had not been paid for some months now since children were not paying school fees.

He commended President Akufo-Addo for the free senior high school policy which had reduced the burden on parents especially Cocoa farmers because parents no longer sold their Cocoa farms for their wards’ education as was the case some years back.

Mr Tetteh asked students from the area to take their education seriously in order to take care of their future needs, disclosing that he lobbied for GNPC scholarship for some students and also supported others from his share of the MP's common fund.

The Deputy Regional Minister advised managements of private schools in the area to register for Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) in order to seek assistance from the government.

He promised to discuss with the District Assembly so that private schools in the area would be supplied with furniture as has been the case in public schools.

Mr Paul Yeboah, President of the Akontombra District Private Schools Association and who received the items on behalf of the teachers, commended the Member of Parliament for the kind gesture, since it was the first time private schools in the district received assistance from an MP.

He pledged their unflinching support for the MP in the upcoming elections for him to be re-elected so that he would continue to help them.

Mr Yeboah who is also the Proprietor for St Louis preparatory school at Sefwi- Bokaso, appealed to other individuals to emulate the MP and support them during these trying times.