By Mohammed Balu
Banu (UW/R), Sept. 24, GNA – Madam Maria Awuyigavei Ali, Queen Mother of the Banu Paramountcy, has donated educational materials to schools within the area as part of efforts to improve learning outcomes, particularly among girls.
The items included 1,000 exercise books, school uniforms and graph books, among other materials, for distribution to basic schools across the paramountcy.
The beneficiary schools included those in Banu, Kunchugu, Pina, Wuru and Basisan, as well as Bico International.
Banu received 350 exercise books, Kunchugu 150, Pina 100, Wuru 100, Basisan 150, and Bico International 50.
Madam Ali, who has served as Queen Mother for 12 years and Paramount Queen for 10 years, said the donation was the beginning of a broader initiative to support education in the area.
“We are just starting it, and we are going to make sure we keep doing it, and it will create something important to improve girls’ education. We have a lot of children dropping out without reasons and others due to teenage pregnancy,” she said.
The initiative is intended to help address some of the barriers preventing children, particularly girls, from remaining in school.
The Queen Mother also highlighted challenges confronting schools within the paramountcy and appealed to the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) to help address them.
At Banu Basic School, Madam Ali identified inadequate teaching staff, lack of furniture for kindergarten pupils and teachers, inadequate accommodation for teachers and the absence of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre as some of the challenges.
She said the school currently had 10 teachers, with one likely to leave.
At Basisan Basic School, she cited inadequate infrastructure for kindergarten pupils, poor maintenance of the teachers’ bungalow, lack of science and ICT equipment, and the absence of electricity.
For Kunchugu Basic School, the Queen Mother raised concerns about inadequate teaching staff, poor maintenance of facilities, and the lack of educational opportunities for refugee children in the community.
Madam Ali, therefore, appealed to the MCE to support the paramountcy in addressing the challenges facing the schools.
Mr Kanton Pichere, Headteacher of Banu Basic School, also expressed concern about refugee children in the community who were not attending school, warning that the situation could pose challenges to society if not addressed.
He appealed to the MCE and the Member of Parliament to collaborate with the appropriate refugee agency to encourage refugee families to enrol their children in school and prioritise their education.
Mr Pichere said low enrolment in schools within the area was also affecting the allocation of teachers and furniture based on the teacher-to-pupil ratio.
He said enrolling refugee children would help increase enrolment while ensuring that the children had access to education.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Mohammed Balu
Email: [email protected]