Free eye and ear screening for pupils in four deprived communities

Kumasi, June 2, GNA - The Otumfuo Opoku Ware Jubilee Foundation will this month, embark on free ear and eye screening exercise for pupils in four deprived communities in the Ashanti region.

About 400 pupils from Bosanso and Apemadi in the Amansie West and Kyenkyenkura and Gyedawu in the Ejura-Sekyedumasi districts are expected to benefit from the exercise, which begins on June 2, 2004.

The exercise, which was expected to cost more than 11 million cedis, was aimed at assessing the visual and hearing capabilities, which are considered to be very strategic need to a better academic performance of the child.

It was also aimed at creating the necessary awareness on eye and ear problems facing children in the communities.

Briefing newsmen on the exercise in Kumasi on Tuesday, Oheneba Agyeman Abayie 11, Somehene of Kumasi and a member of the board of trustees of the foundation, said the foundation, which was established by the Asanteman Council in 1995 in honour of the late Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware, grants bursaries to selected students and pupils within Asanteman and other traditional areas that owe direct allegiance to the golden stool.

He said it was also designed to promote environmental and health awareness through tree planting and screening of eyes and ears of school children to ensure that they were physically prepared for good academic work.

Mrs Boadicea Ama Prempeh also a member of the board said the exercise was to create awareness on good ear and eye-sight, which had been identified as a very strategic need for a child's education. She said the foundation would provide further assistance to pupils who would be identified as having eye or ear problems in the area.

Mrs Prempeh said the foundation plans to make the exercise an annual affair to benefit many pupils and students in Asanteman and appealed to the media to support the activities of the foundation.