Mampong School for the Deaf appeals for support

The Headmaster of the Demonstration School for the Deaf, Mampong-Akuapem, Mr Busty Solomons Kwashie, has appealed to the government to fast track the release of feeding grant and government subvention, to enable the school to cater adequately for the students.

Making the appeal in an interview with the Daily Graphic, he said with a student population of about 400, the school solely relied on the feeding grants to cater for the children, and added that delays in the release of such grant for the purchase of food items for students and other activities in the school affected the smooth operation of the school and also affected academic work.

Challenges of parents

About 50 per cent of parents, he said, were unable to support the individual needs of their children since most of them were also deaf and did not have any occupation.

Aside from the burden of soliciting for funds to cater for the students, Mr Kwashie said authorities of the school had to raise money for the upkeep of individual students who had severe financial challenges.

The headmaster, who spoke with the Daily Graphic after receiving items presented to the school by Jireh Microfinance Limited (JML) as part of its first anniversary celebrations, said the school often credited from suppliers to feed the students.

Presentation

The company presented five bags of rice, a bag of sugar and two gallons of oil to the school, and also donated 500 copies of the Bible to enhance the spiritual growth of the students.

Making the presentation, a board member of JML, Mr Francis Owusu-Achampong, said the company decided to support the school, as part of its corporate social responsibility.

He remarked that although the company was just a year old, it deemed it fit to support the less privileged in society and pledged more support to the school.

Receiving the items, the headmaster said the donation would go a long way to support the school, and urged corporate organisations and individuals to come to the aid of individual students who faced severe financial crisis.

“An educated deaf person is not only an asset to himself or herself but also to the society,” she said.

Uncompleted buildings

Speaking about infrastructure, Mr Kwashie said the school could no longer admit students although there were many deaf students and pupils in the society who ought to be enrolled.

That, he said, was due to the limited dormitories and classroom blocks in the school, adding that work on some uncompleted buildings for the school had stalled due to lack of funds.

The Chief of Mampong, Osabarima Kwame Otu Darteh III, who was present at the ceremony, also appealed to corporate organisations and philanthropic individuals to support the school.