School Heads appeal to District Assembly to complete infrastructural projects

Basic School heads in the Asunafo South District of the newly created Ahafo Regions have appealed to the District Assembly to complete educational infrastructural projects being constructed in deprived communities in the district.

They commended the District Assembly for its efforts towards improving educational infrastructure in the area and praised Mr Osei Bonsu, the Asunafo South District Chief Executive (DCE) for his keen interest in the development of education.

The head teachers said the DCE's interest in education was manifested through his personal efforts in ensuring that sound school environment was created for academic work to progress in the schools.

They tasked teachers in the district to rekindle their spirit and redouble their efforts towards improving on academic performance of students.

In a separate interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during a visit to the Siiso D/A Primary and Junior High School (JHS), Abuom D/A Primary and JHS and Kukuom local Presbyterian Primary and JHS, the educational heads appealed for teachers’ quarters for teachers to accept postings and stay to work in the communities.

The visit to the schools, where the District Assembly is putting up classroom blocks, is part of a STAR Ghana Project being implemented by the Sustainable Mission Aid (SMAid), an international NGO, and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to monitor the completion of the educational projects.

To be completed in July this year, the 18-month project aimed at strengthening media and CSOs collaboration for inclusive and accountable local governance in the country.

Strategically, such interventions would drive the vehicle of demanding effective social accountability from duty bearers at the local and national levels.

Mr Sulemana Baba Amadu, the Head Teacher of Siiso D/A Primary and JHS, observed that because the school had no ICT center and computers it was making it extremely difficult for students to advance in practical ICT studies.

He appealed to the District Assembly, NGOs, and corporate bodies to come to their aid to facilitate effective teaching of the subject and improve on the practical knowledge of students as well.

Mr Amadu who is also the Assemblyman for the area called on the Assembly to renovate an old school block to accommodate some of the pupils and students.

At the Abuom D/A Primary and JHS, Mr Joshua Amankwaa, the Head Teacher, commended the Assembly for adding ICT center to a three-unit classroom block it was constructing for the school, and appealed for 30 computers to furnish the center.

He said the project had reached roofing stage, but the computers were needed urgently to prepare final year students for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Mr Gilbert Asante, the Programmes and Resource Mobilisation Coordinator of the SMAid, expressed satisfaction to the progress of work on the education projects, and advised the communities to develop interest and monitor infrastructural projects against shoddy works.

He reminded local communities that they would be owners of the infrastructural projects being put up in their communities, saying, with their supervision; contractors would work in tandem with project specifications.

But, Mr Asante added that, local communities would be able to monitor and supervise project if District and Municipal Assemblies actively engaged them in awarding contracts.

Mr Bonsu, the DCE, said promoting quality education in the localities remained his highest priority, assuring that the Assembly would continue to channel her resources into school infrastructural development.

He expressed worry over the abysmal performance of students in the area, and advised teachers to work hard to raise the standard of education in the district.

Mr Bonsu emphasized that promoting quality education remained a shared and collective responsibility and appealed to parents and teachers to team up and do their best for their children as the assembly provided the required materials for effective teaching and learning.