Chiefs appeal for support for Bukunor school

Nene Jacob Tei Kofi, Dade Mantse of Bukunor Junction near Oterkpolu in the Eastern Region, has appealed to the government, the Member of Parliament for Upper Manya constituency and the Ghana Education Service (GES), to support their basic school.

He made the appeal on behalf of the chief and opinion leaders of both Old Bukunor and Bukunor Junctions, who expressed dissatisfaction on the state of the only basic school in the area.

“We are also making an urgent appeal to non-governmental and charitable organisations, public spirited individuals, corporate bodies, and the district assembly to come to the aid of the school”, he stated.

The government, he said, needed to take up its responsibility to promote access to quality education at the basic level and therefore, urged the Upper Manya District Assembly to increase investment in infrastructure at the basic level of public schools.

Nene Tei Kofi expressed the sentiment when he and elders of Bukunor Junction and Old Bukunor communities visited the school to access the challenges the only school around was facing and to help find means of assisting and equipping the school.

The chief stated that, the Bukunor Basic School lacked basic equipment and materials for learning.

According to him, it would require an estimated GH¢25,000.00 to purchase dual desks for the primary and Junior High School (JHS), furnish the teachers’ staff common hall and paint the classroom blocks.

The chiefs and opinion leaders were grateful to a philanthropist who contested the last district assembly elections and lost, but was in the process of re-roofing one of the school blocks in fulfilment of her campaign promise.

Nene Tei Kofi disclosed that several appeals made last year by the chiefs on one part and the school authority on the other to the education directorate and the district assembly were not successful.

He said the chiefs and elders then decided to source funds for the rehabilitation of the school and provision of dual desks.

“It is a horrible situation to see some of the children sitting on bare flour in the classrooms learning”, due to lack of desks,” he declared.

The community elders commended the teaching staff of the school for their hard work under such deplorable condition and indicated that they could be motivated by the on-going rehabilitation works.