Otumfuo donates items to 40 deprived schools

Kumasi, Oct 1, GNA - The Otumfuo Education Fund under the Promoting Partnership with Traditional Authorities Project (PPTAP) has presented large quantities of items valued more than 225 million cedis to 40 identified deprived basic schools in the Ashanti region.

The items included 80 colour television sets, 80 bicycles, 3,000 exercise books, 600 mathematical sets and 600 school bags. The items formed part of the PPTAP's Basic Development Grant Agreement (BDGA) and the Project Appraisal Document designed to fund scholarship and incentive schemes for pupils and also retain teachers in the beneficiary school communities.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony in Kumasi on Friday, Mr Johnson Osei-Hwedie, the PPTAP Manager, said the project was funded through a World Bank grant of 4.5 million dollars and a counterpart contribution of 450,000 dollars aimed at promoting quality education and good health care delivery.

He said out of the grant, the education sub-component of the project was allocated 2.9 million dollars, which was utilised to construct primary school buildings, libraries, boreholes, solar panels and teachers' residential quarters in the 40 pilot school communities. Mr Osei-Hwedie commended traditional leaders in the beneficiary comunities, as well as, district education directorates and community leaders for effectively mobilising residents in their areas to offer labour to complete the projects on schedule.

Mrs Belinda Serwaa Addo, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, noted that one of the challenges facing the education sector at the pre-tertiary level was the provision of classroom blocks, teachers' quarters and libraries and commended the PPTAP for complementing efforts of the government in addressing the problem.

She observed that the intervention by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, in the provision of infrastructure and other logistics was a big relief and would bridge the gap between the rural and urban child in the provision of quality education.

Mrs Addo said some remarkable achievements of the PPTAP include an increase in enrolment in the 40 pilot schools, facilitation of accessibility to schools and sufficient availability of resource materials at the libraries to enhance effective teaching and learning. Mr Ahmad Dramani, a retired educationist who presided, observed that the PPTAP was a pilot innovation and vision of the Asantehene, which was intended to transform and empower traditional authorities to contribute meaningfully towards the socio-economic development of their areas in response to resources made available by the World Bank, the government and other aid agencies.

He said Otumfuo's policy to support the development of education in the country was driven by his passion for human resource development from the basic to tertiary levels.

Mr Dramani, a former Ashanti Regional Director of Education, who played a significant role in the PPTAP programmes, was confident that the project would raise the performances in schools, especially in the most deprived rural areas.

The management of PPTAP later honoured him for his tremendous contribution towards the scheme and promoting educational development in the Ashanti region and the entire country. 01 Oct 06