By: Ewoenam Kpodo | Voltaonlinegh.com |
A non-governmental organisation (NGO) interested in education in rural Ghana, Adanu and its partners including the Morsaic team, USA have commissioned a six-unit classroom block at Adaklu Hehekpoe Salvation Army Basic School in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region.
The commissioning on Wednesday, formed part of a bigger project, HAPPI (Hehekpoe Adanu Pilot Project Initiative), launched some years ago to develop the school into an ultramodern one and provide holistic early childhood education to the pupils.
Aside the new block which will serve as classrooms for primary1-6, construction of classroom block for crèche, a library and sanitary facilities (WASH program) were earlier undertaken.
Headmaster of the school, Francis Dunyo in an address, thanked God for the “momentous day in the life of the school and community” saying, the journey “has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.”
Mr. Dunyo lauded Adanu’s commitment to developing education infrastructure in rural communities noting, the new building “is yet another manifestation of Adanu’s continued resolve to bridge the urban-rural education gap.”
“All these interventions have in many respects, contributed significantly to the positive paradigm shift the school is currently experiencing and pupils are now happy to be associated with the school. No wonder the school enrolment figures have increased considerably,” he added.
He however, called for support in ”cladding the existing pavilion to house the proposed ICT and Science laboratories” indicating that the school had been promised some 25 computers to stock the ICT lab with.
Founder and Executive Director of Adanu, Richard Yinkah was grateful to the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, the District Assembly, the Salvation Army Secretariat, the community and all through whose collaborative effort the project was successful.
Mr. Yinkah disclosed that his organisation has been existing for the past 17 years to help provide education infrastructure in schools in rural communities and would continue with the good work.
He advised the citizenry especially members of beneficiary communities to develop the right attitude and support to facilitate early completion of such projects for the benefit of all.
MP for the area, Kwame Agbodza expressed his readiness to always support such projects to improve on education which he described as the most important of the needs of the area based on its implications on the quality of life of his constituents.
Hon. Agbodza charged missionary organisations who own schools to do more lamenting that most of them with reference to the Salvation Army Church were not doing enough to support the schools and proposed the need for a change of name in future should the situation not improve.
Deputy Regional Minister, Maxwell Blagodzi underscored the need to promote community mobilisation and asked people to support such projects to help cut cost for more development projects to be brought to the areas.
Mr. Blagodzi pledged government’s support for calls by earlier speakers including construction of a road from Hehekpoe to link the district capital, Adaklu Waya and, facilitating test transmission of two radio stations in the district.
Pupils of the school who spoke to Voltaonlinegh.com, said the project was a relief to them because classes under sheds would move into the new building while the junior high pupils currently studying under tree would use the sheds as their classrooms.
Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com
