GSC constructs JSS blocks for two communities in Ashanti

Two Junior Secondary School (JSS) blocks built at Boankra and Hwereso in the Ejisu-Juaben District of Ashanti by the Ghana Shippers Council (GSC) at a total cost of 450 million cedis have been inaugurated by Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Ports, Harbour and Railways.

The two facilities form part of the social assistance package for the communities on whose land the Boankra Inland Port is sited.

Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi suggested to the Council to consider establishing a scholarship scheme to support academically brilliant students of the schools who pass the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to pursue second-cycle education.

This, he said, could help prevent the unfortunate situation where some otherwise promising students for the lack of financial help would drop out of school.

The Minister used the occasion to draw attention of parents to the need to encourage their children to get more serious with their education, saying, they should be supervised in the homes and assisted to adopt the habit of reading.

Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi reminded the GSC that it was not just enough to put up school classroom blocks for the communities but that it should also address itself to the challenge of assisting to provide electricity, telephone and water for the people in the district.

Mr Yaw Ahenkora Afrifa, District Chief Executive, asked the Council to support the assembly in its efforts at developing a proper layout for the communities in the Inland Port area and those within its fringes.

He said this was important to ensure controlled and orderly physical development of the area.

Mr Afrifa said the assembly had set aside 100 million cedis to contract the Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI) to prepare the layout.

Mr Emmanuel Martey, Freight and Research Manager, said the GSC had already provided wooden electricity poles and some electricity materials to assist the self-help electrification project of the two communities.

Nana Aboagye Agyei II, Omanhene of Ejisu, expressed the people's gratitude to the council for the projects.