Foundation constructs three-unit school block for Chibrinyoa community

The Zakat Foundation of America, an international non-governmental organisation, has constructed a three-unit junior high school classroom block for the Chibrinyoa community in the Bole District.

The building, which was constructed at a cost of $45,000, also boast of a volley and basketball courts, and a wire fencing to provide an enclosed and safe environment for the pupils.
It was sponsored by an American Muslim lady in memory of her sons who died some few years ago.

Consequently, the school was christened Murad Abusalim and Brothers JHS.

The block also has a staff common room, a library and an office for the headmaster.

Until recently, the community did not have a JHS and the children had to trek about nine miles to Bamboi to continue their education after they have completed their primary education.

Handing over
At a ceremony to hand over the school to the district assembly on Tuesday, the Programme Manager of Zakat Foundation, Mr Habib Abubakar, said the goal of the foundation was to address the immediate needs of the poor and less privileged in society.

He said the provision of the educational infrastructure, which formed part of the Zakat Education Programme, started in 2005, and was designed to reach out to the less privileged schools to improve on the standard of education in the various communities.

He indicated that since 2005, the foundation had distributed over 1,000 back packs filled with books and pens to a number of schoolchildren in the less- endowed schools in the Brong Ahafo Region and the northern Ghana.

Gratitude
The Bole District Director of Education, Mrs Leocadia Zakpala, was grateful to the foundation for the building, which she said would go a long way to relieve the children of the community of the burden of travelling long distances to continue their education.

She assured the community of the support of the district directorate of education to ensure that the school operated efficiently, stressing that the new infrastructure would now provide a better environment for the JHS students who had been using the Catholic Church auditorium as classroom, for the past two years.

The Chief Executive of Bole District, Mr James Jaaga, for his part, was also grateful to the foundation for the kind gesture, pointing out that although the government was doing its part, it would need the support of its partners to meet all the needs of Ghanaians.

He said the government would also play its part to ensure that the building was put to good use through the provision of teaching and learning materials and other amenities that would make living in the area comfortable for teachers.

He said the government had already provided accommodation for teachers teaching in the community.