By Caleb Kuleke
Kebenu (V/R), Oct. 26, GNA-International Needs Ghana, a Christian development non-governmental organisation has provided a seven-seater toilet facility for Togbe Aho Memorial D/A Global Basic School at Bakpa-Kebenu in the Central Tongu District of the Volta region.
The micro-flush toilet, worth GH¢150, 000.00 has a changing room for girls, sinks and a tap for washing hands and is secured with burglar proof to protect the children.
The facility was built to replace the old dilapidated one which had become a death trap in the school and to create a conducive environment for the pupils and teachers to have peace of mind for quality academic work.
Mr Cromwell Awadey, Executive Director, International Needs Ghana, speaking at the commissioning of the edifice said the safety of children was at the heart of the organisation.
He said the organisation would continue to strengthen the community’s child protection committee to work with the chief and elders to make the community a safer place for children to develop their potential.
Mr Awadey was grateful to the chief and elders of the community for their effective collaboration, which he said, had resulted in the liberation of some women from trokosi practices in the community.
He said the partnership also had led to the rehabilitation of some women through skills training and other support at the NGO’s vocational training centre at Adidome and hoped that it would be maintained for the development of the community.
Mr Awadey appealed to various stakeholders including the chief, the school management committee, the parent-teacher association and the Ghana Education Service to continue to work together to provide quality education to the children to protect their future.
The school was established by International Needs Ghana to provide children within the community and its adjoining environs access to quality education, and was named after Togbe Aho III, Awafiaga of Bakpa Traditional Area for his contribution towards the establishment of the school.
The school currently has a student population of 422, and to improve the nutritional status of the children for good academic performance, the NGO continued to provide a highly subsidized one hot meal a day for the children.
The organisation also provides periodic medical care to the children as well as members of the community through its medical outreaches to ensure that they remain healthy.
Mr Simon Gakpetor, Headteacher of the school thanked International Needs Ghana for the gesture, assuring that his outfit would ensure proper maintenance of the facility.
He mentioned the lack of accommodation for teachers, lack of computers, poor road network linking to the school and inadequate staff as challenges bedevilling the school and appealed for support to address them.
The headteacher lamented that the kindergarten class of a population of 110 had only one male teacher and that was negatively affecting the quality of academic delivery.
Mr Gershon Queku Aba, the District Chief Inspector of Schools commended the NGO for playing a major role in enhancing quality education in the district.
He asked parents to support the government by providing their wards with learning materials, ensuring that they learn and should not allow them to go to wakes and funerals.
Mr Aba also thanked the headteacher and the staff for their hard work and encouraged them to continue to give off their best, assuring them that plans were underway to provide the school with teachers.
Mr Thomas Zonyra District Chief Executive for the area also praised International Needs Ghana for the gesture and donated four security lights to the school to improve security.
GNA