Anto community gets teacher’s quarters

West Rock Quarries has constructed a six –unit teachers’ quarters for the Anto community in the Shama District of the Western Region, at the cost of GHc250,000, to improve the accommodation needs of teachers.

The building, which took 12 months to complete, was part of the company’s corporate responsibility to the Anto community and also to ensure that teachers posted to the Anto Aboso JHS have enough accommodation to give off their best.

The decision was taken when a pupil of Anto –Aboso and an indigene won the Presidential Special Award in the BECE as the best female candidate from the Western Region in the 2011/2012 academic year.

Over the past six years, West Rock, has also provided support in various forms to the community including the District Assembly.

At the inauguration ceremony, the Executive Chairman of West Rock Limited, Mr. Sam Kwofie said that, the accommodation facility was a testimony that the company was ready to give back any resources generated from the community through their operations.

Currently, he said, the Anto-Aboso JHS had two streams of classes, with potential children, who, with better tutorials and guidance, could rise up to run shoulders with pupils from the well- endowed schools in plush residential areas.

Unfortunately, most of these teachers, Mr. Kwofie, said, were not staying in town due to accommodation difficulties.

“As we inaugurate this beautiful and modern edifice of the six rooms each furnished with a bed, writing desk and chair, we want to throw a challenge to the staff and pupils of the school to go all out to achieve the ultimate in education as the company will always be behind you,”he said.

He urged the school management and the community to take care of the facility so that next generation will also benefit from it to enhance the image of the school.

A Presidential Staffer, Miss. Emelia Arthur, said the ability of a nation to harness her natural resources depended on the quality of her human resources, stating that education was one critical ingredient in national development.

Stressing that, the government was determined and focused to provide quality classroom buildings throughout the country, Ms Arthur said partnership was key in the provision of materials including furniture, which was also important in quality delivery in the education sector.

“That is the vision of the government and we will need corporate support such as that of West Rock to achieve this objective.” Miss Arthur said.

She noted that the company’s corporate social responsibility plans were exemplary and showed its leadership drive to championing the needs and aspirations of the communities in the Shama district.

The Western Regional Minister, Mr. Paul Evans Aidoo, also commended West Rock for its development programmes in the educational sector, noting that, the teachers quarters would improve teaching and learning in the area.

He, however, called for good school management practices among stakeholders including the Teacher- Parents’ Association and the district directorate of education, to ensure that education was improved.

“You should ensure good relationship among all stakeholders and avoid the use of English in your deliberations. Else, the community will feel sidelined.”

The Chief of Yabiw and the Acting President of the Shama Traditional Area, Nana Wieno 11, told the gathering that­ most rural communities were under trying conditions, and poor educational facilities including accommodation was also undermining quality education in the Shama area.