We need Ateiku SHS, TVET - Wassa East District Assembly

Residents of Atieku in the Wassa East District in the Western Region are calling for government help towards the establishment of a Senior High School and Technical and Vocational Education and Training center in the District to facilitate development.

The request was made during a townhall meeting to review progress in the District in the year 2018.

Wassa East District Assembly held its first Town Hall Meeting on 1st March at Ateiku for community leaders in the area council to engage duty bearers on the 2018 development performance of the District.

The DCE, Wilson Arthu, addressing the gathering assured all that, strategic solutions towards the funding of Tertiary education in the district are being rolled out. He disclosed that the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat has decentralized processing of scholarships.

A district Committee has been formed in pursuance to select beneficiaries starting from this year. Wassa East District has signed on to Ghana student Loan Trust fund to guarantee for as many of her students who qualify. The Assembly intends to devote its education financial support budget and the MPs budget on Agric Health and Teaching students while Golden Star Wassa Mines and Plantation Socfinaf Ghana invest their education support budget in training locals strategically to meet their recruitment needs.

Mr Arthur, a native of Aeiku also assured his people that he will do all within his means to promote the establishment of two public SHS/TVET institutions at Atobiase and Ateiku.

2018 was a year for Human Development and Agricultural strategic Investments.

DCE of the model district, Hon Wilson Arthur dislosed with pride that in 2018, thanks to free SHS policy, about 2,032 students from the district made it to SHS/TVET institutions out of 2,083 candidates, a reverse of the 90% drop out recorded across the district in the past.

Under planting for exports and Rural Development last year, 680,000 improved cocoa seedlings were given to farmers for free. 30 new mass spraying gangs sponsored by the district with provision of Solo Motorised machines and Cocobod Pollination and Pruning services investment in the district boosted cocoa the industry were also provided.

Patronage of Planting for Food and Jobs trippled over 2017 with 1,289 new farmers participating. Farmers Day 2018 celebrated at Sekyere Krobo last December saw massive improvement in terms of quantity, value of Prizes and quality of celebration.

In the area of 1D1F, the district has the Wassa East Quarry project, and Oil Palm processing factory likely to start operations by July this year, a Starch and Rubber Processing factories and Seed factory are also all lined up.

Concerns during the meeting mostly bothered on the need for a public SHS/TVET institution at Ateiku, funding support for astromical numbers anticipated at Tertiary level and catering for the thousands of unskilled youth drop outs.

The icing on the cake was when it was disclosed that Ateiku and Juaben have been adopted by Golden Star Mining Company as affected communities. This opens opportunities for inhabitants of the two towns to benefit from recruitments and Corporate Social Responsibility investments by the Mines.

A new memorandum of understanding is almost ready that would enhance the impact of mining on the development of the district.

Participants expressed satisfaction at the end of the meeting over the progress achieved in the township in 2018.