I’m very sorry – Mrs Amissah-Arthur apologises for ‘chalk’ outburst (Video)

Samuel K. Obour Jul - 18 - 2015 , 14:14

The Second Lady, Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, has apologised for scolding the headmistress of a school in the Eastern Region, who requested some educational materials from the government.

The Headmistress of Kukurantumi Presby Primary School, Mrs Juliet Oppong, who was Wednesday expressing gratitude to Mrs Amissah-Arthur for presenting five sets of computers to the school, appealed to her to communicate to the government to provide some “basic” items like logbooks for teachers and chalks which, she said, were in short supply in the school.

The request, however, did not go down well with the Second Lady, who instructed that the school makes arrangements to acquire items like chalk on its own.

“The Head teacher has shocked me…she said you lack chalk and log books...I am very shocked that you are today asking me about chalk...how much is a box of chalk…I won’t give you chalk today, I won’t give you chalk tomorrow,” she said.

The incident provoked condemnation among a section of the public, prompting the second lady to apologise Saturday when she spoke at an event celebrating the 40^th anniversary of Jack and Jill School in Accra.

Mrs Amissah-Arthur said: On Wednesday, I went to Kukurantumi to make a presentation of five computers and 500 books to the Presby Basic School upon a request I received. A comment I made has been in the media since then.

“I have for some years now been supporting deprived schools in my own small way by making donations to them.

“I was completely taken aback when the headmistress asked for chalk. My response was intended to encourage community participation in the school. If what I said has offended people I use this opportunity to say ‘I’m very sorry’.”