After Daily Graphic publication... Atiyorum gets new classroom block
The Atiyorum Primary School in Kandiga in the Kassena Nankana West District in the Upper East Region has been provided with a new six-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities to enhance teaching and learning.
This followed a story by the Daily Graphic in June 2022, which highlighted the dilapidated nature of the primary school block in the community as posing danger to the pupils.
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Schoolchildren in the community, with a population of more than 1,000, were educated in an old classroom block which had developed cracks and was on the verge of collapse.
The poor state of the school infrastructure was a source of worry for the community members, particularly the Assembly Member of the Kaasi/Atiyorum Electoral Area, Charles Akanfule, who wrote several letters to the district assembly and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for assistance towards the construction of a new classroom block for the school.
Soon after Daily Graphic’s story, an international NGO, Engage Now Africa, with funding from ASEA Foundation, constructed the new six-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities and a borehole within four months to improve academic work in the school.
The new block also provides a headteacher’s office, staff common room, a library and a toilet facility.
Request for support
At a ceremony to inaugurate the project, the Country Director of the NGO, Cecelia Abankwah, said her outfit received a letter from the Kassena Nankana West District Assembly, appealing for support for the community.
She said upon hearing of the plight of the school, the NGO made a proposal to the ASEA Foundation for funding to execute the project to provide a safe and conducive learning environment for the pupils of the school.
She expressed the hope that the new school block would enable the pupils to be adequately prepared to compete with their counterparts in cities and towns in the Basic Education and Certificate Examination (BECE).
Satisfaction
The District Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), George Woyongo, expressed excitement and satisfaction over the construction of the classroom block for the school.
He challenged the learners to justify the funds invested in the construction of the classroom block by studying hard to get excellent results to further their education to the senior high and tertiary levels.
The Chief Executive of the Kassena Nankana West District Assembly, Gerard Ataogye, said out of the 68 primary schools in the district, the Atiyorum Primary School was the most life-threatening until the construction of the new block.
He called for the strengthening of collaboration between government and NGOs to provide basic facilities for the benefit of the people, saying “we cannot always rely on the government for the provision of such facilities; NGOs and corporate bodies can also support”.
The Chief of Kandiga, Naba Amenga Etego II, urged the management of the school to ensure that the school was always in good shape to last longer to benefit other generations.
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