By Kamal Ahmed
Boti(E/R), Sept. 10, GNA – Nyewer-Asafoaste Ngua Obuyoe Batsa III, Chief of Abokobi in the Yilo Krobo Municipality, has donated 5,000 exercise books to pupils in schools within his area to help address shortages of basic learning materials.
The donation, aimed at reducing the financial burden on parents and supporting effective teaching and learning, would benefit pupils in Abokobi, Akorwu Bannah Presbyterian Primary and Junior High School and the Boti R/C Primary and Junior High School.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Nyewer-Asafoaste Batsa III, a professional teacher, said 3,200 of the exercise books had been distributed to the beneficiary schools, while the remaining 1,800 would be presented to pupils at Nkurakan-Yoyim during a separate exercise.
He explained that the initiative was intended to ensure that financial difficulties did not prevent children from obtaining the basic learning materials needed for their education.
“Education is something that must always be prioritised because in this current dispensation, you will find yourself wanting if you are not educated,” he said.
The Chief noted that his experience as a teacher had exposed him to the challenges some pupils and their parents faced in providing exercise books and other basic learning materials.
According to him some pupils are sometimes compelled to share exercise books between subjects, while others report to school without notebooks because their parents could not afford them.
“When we ask students to come to school with exercise books, some parents respond with insults. It is not because they are disrespectful or deliberate; they simply do not have the means,” he added.
He said he had personally bought exercise books for pupils in his school in Somanya after observing that some children could go through an entire term without adequate learning materials.
The situation, he noted, could be more challenging in rural communities, where some families faced greater economic difficulties.
He said subordinate chiefs had therefore decided to support education as part of efforts to promote the welfare of children and contribute to the development of the traditional area.
He expressed the hope that the donation would ease the financial pressure on parents, encourage pupils to remain in school and enable them to participate effectively in classroom activities.
Nyewer-Asafoaste Batsa also disclosed plans to establish an educational fund to support students in the jurisdiction to pursue higher levels of education.
He said the fund would provide additional opportunities for young people to advance academically and acquire the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to sustainable development.
Mr Simon Abaitey, a parent whose child benefited from the donation, commended the Chief for the intervention.
He noted that some families in the community struggled to meet their daily needs and were consequently unable to purchase school materials for their children.
He said the donation would ease the financial pressure on parents and encourage pupils to take their education seriously.
Ms Sarah Tetteh, a Junior High School pupil at Akorwu Bannah, also expressed appreciation to the Chief for the support.
She said her parents had been unable to provide her with exercise books for the new academic term due to financial difficulties.
She thanked the Chief for the intervention and appealed to him to continue supporting education in the area.
The donation forms part of efforts by the Abokobi traditional leadership to support education and improve access to basic learning materials among children in the learning
GNA
Edited by D.I. Laary/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Kamal Ahmed
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]