By Philip Tengzu
Lassia, (UW/R), Aug. 19, GNA – World Vision Ghana (WVG) has donated 220 classroom furniture to the Lassia Tuolu Senior High School in the Wa West District to contribute to restoring and enhancing academic activities in the school.
The furniture included 150 students’ mono desks, and 70 teachers’ tables and chairs aimed to relieve the students and the teachers of the challenges they were facing.
The donation followed a fire disaster in the school on March 10, 2024, which destroyed the school’s multi-purpose hall and other property including furniture and food items running into thousands of Ghana Cedis.
Handing over the furniture, Mr Francis Gumah, the Northern Operations Manager of WVG, said his organisation was moved by the damage the disaster had caused to the school and its impact on academic activities.
“We hope this will contribute to improving teaching and learning and general academic performances of students at the school,” he stated.
Mr Gumah said the support highlighted WVG’s commitment and dedication to children’s welfare especially their education as the organisation prioritised children’s education in preparing them for a better future.
He stated that the donation to the Lassia Tulu SHS was not the first time WVG had supported schools and education in the district.
“Since we began operations in the district, World Vision Ghana has presented 960 dual desks to 10 schools in the Wa West District alone.
Aside from this, 120 children who walk long distances to school were given bicycles that enabled them to attend school regularly and punctually”, Mr Gumah indicated.
He added that WVG had donated over 600 school uniforms and bags, 5,000 exercise books, and some play-to-learn equipment, valued at thousands of Ghana cedis to more than 1,900 school children in the district.
Mr Emmanuel Banongwie, the Headmaster of the Lassia Tuolu SHS, expressed gratitude to WVG for the intervention, which he said would reduce the impact of the disaster on the school, especially the students.
He said the furniture would help augment the existing ones in the school to serve the 1,233 students in that school.
Mr Banongwie said with the support, they would continue to strive for academic excellence since it would contribute to improving quality teaching and learning in the school.
Master Abdul Nasir Samir, the Immediate Past President of the Lassia Tuolu SHS Student Representative Council (SRC), said the disaster had left a scar on the hearts and minds of the students due to its dire impact on academic activities.
He said aside from a temporal closedown of the school, the destruction of the furniture also led to the introduction of a “shift system” in attending classes in the school.
Master Samir, while thanking WVG for the gesture, said the intervention would enable the school “rebuild and emerge stronger.”
Mr Amatus Tug-uu, the Wa West District Director of Education, recognised the support of WVG to the Lassia Tuolu SHS and the education sector in the district over the years.
He, however, indicated that basic schools in the district were still challenged with furniture deficit causing some children to sit on the floor or lie on their bellies to learn, which was impeding quality academic activities at that level.
Mr Tug-uu, therefore, beseeched WVG and other philanthropic organisations and individuals to intervene by providing furniture to the schools in the district to help save the future of the children in education.
Madam Vida Diorotey, the Wa West District Chief Executive and Superintendent (rtd) Peter Lanchene Toobu, the Member of Parliament for the Wa West Constituency, thanked WVG for intervening to help salvage the challenge the school was going through due to the fire disaster.
Mr Toobu appealed to the Ghana National Fire Service to release the report on the cause of the fire in the school for the needed action to be taken since that was the third fire disaster recorded in that school, which was a source of concern.
GNA