Jirapa (UW/R), April 11, GNA – Madam Joyce Bawa Mogtari, the Special Aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, has donated 120 metallic mono desks worth Gh¢12,000.00 to the Ganaa Memorial Junior High School (JHS) at Jirapa in the Upper West Region.
The gesture was at the behest of the Ganaa Old Students Association (GOSA) to help alleviate the plight of the school children.
The Association also donated sporting paraphernalia, including two sets of football jerseys, a football, a volleyball, and a volleyball net among other things.
Mr Eugene Bawelle, a member of GOSA, who handed over the items to the school on behalf of the philanthropist, said Madam Mogtari donated the items to fulfil her desire to give back to the community that impacted her life tremendously during her school age.
Madam Mogtari, who was also a former Deputy Minister of Transport during the erstwhile President Mahama’s Administration, attended the St. Francis Assisi Girls’ Senior High School in Jirapa from 1989 to 1990.
“Jirapa is dear to my heart because I attended St. Francis Assisi and the training I had there has made me who I am today. So I want to give back to the community that has shaped me to be who I am,” she said.
She encouraged the students to make judicious use of the items and take their academic activities very seriously to become better citizens in future saying: “I want to see the next Joyce Bawa emerging among you”.
Madam Adeline Nimbare, the Headmistress of the school, who received the items, said they would help improve academic activities in the school.
She explained that the students were compelled to bring their own chairs to school, which was a burden on them and their parents, saying, “These chairs will reduce the pressure on parents because we used to pressure them to buy chairs for their children.”
The school was also challenged with inadequate infrastructure as the 194 school children depended on only three classrooms with each class containing more than 60 students resulting in overcrowding, Madam Nimbare said.
She appealed for computers to stock the school’s computer laboratory to improve the teaching and learning of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Mr Francis Assisi Ullo, the President of GOSA, said the Association was working within its ability to help meet the challenges of the school.
He said it was also working hard to institute an award scheme for the best-performing students as a motivation to make them aspire for excellence and make the school the preferred choice.
GNA