Cape Deaf receives $3,000 worth of stationery

Cape Coast, Feb.17, GNA - A tutor at the Lake Drive Programme, a school for the deaf and other physically challenged in New Jersey in the United States, Mrs. Rashida Garcia on Tuesday presented books and other stationery worth $3,000.00 to the Cape Coast School for the Deaf (Cape Deaf). Mrs Garcia who made the presentation through the Ghana National Deaf Children's Society (GNDCS), has volunteered to teach for a week at Cape Deaf to enable her interact better with students of the school. She said she was touched when she got to know the activities of the GNDCS on its website and therefore decided to assist the school through it. Mrs Gracia, who said her first visit to the country was in 1992 to partake in the "passage of rite" ceremony at Kumasi, urged the students to make good use of the items and indicated that in future she will arrange for an exchange programme between her school and Cape Deaf. The Cape Coast Metropolitan Director of Education, Mr. Obotan Larbi observed that the culture of reading among Africans was low and this could be a contributing factor to its underdevelopment. He urged students of Cape Deaf to cultivate the habit of reading to develop their hidden talents and further asked them to dedicate at least 15 minutes everyday to read. Mr. Larbi was of the hope that a second cycle school will soon be constructed for the school, which is currently up to a JHS level to enable students access higher education and contribute their quota to nation building.

The Headmistress of the School, Mrs. Barbara Anning, who received the items expressed gratitude to the donor and pledged to ensure that they were used for the purposes for which it was donated. She was unhappy that their limited facilities were being overstretched as classrooms meant for 15 students are now accommodating about 25 students, making teaching and learning difficult.

She appealed to the government and all stakeholders to assist in constructing additional classrooms and other amenities for the school. On some of the achievements of the School, Mrs Anning announced that three of their students won the commonwealth awards last year and in 2006, the school among others was adjudged the best basic school in agriculture. The Executive Director of GNDCS, Mr. Kwasi Ofori-Manteaw, who gave a brief background of his organization, said their main objective is to ensure that every Ghanaian hearing impaired child was given equal access to education, health and employment opportunities. He said to generate employment for the deaf it has started a gari-processing project and was also trying to establish a carpentry workshop, with support from individuals and organizations, and that machinery for the project would soon be shipped from the United Kingdom. Mr. Ofori-Manteaw appealed to government and other institutions for sponsorship for their programmes.