An Akuapem-Larteh based Non-Profit Organisation, ‘As I Grow’, has donated school items to three (3) schools – Okanta Presby Basic school, Okanta Sraa Methodist Primary School and Prapra Baabida Municipal Assembly (MA) Basic school.
The items are 1000 exercise books, school uniforms, footwears and textbooks to the school children and their schools.
Speaking with The Chronicle, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of As I Grow, Mr Isaac Debrah Bekoe said he was touched by the plight of the children and, therefore, decided to help them.
According to him, poor infrastructure, lack of technology, textbooks and other learning materials often result in lower grades and test scores.
He continued that when students do not feel supported by their learning environment, they are more likely to disengage and drop out, leading to cycles of poverty and limited future opportunities.
Mr. Bekoe noted that underfunded schools often serve marginalised communities and thus exacerbating existing inequalities, which could limit access to quality education for disadvantaged groups.
To him, poor working conditions could lead to low morale and high turnover rates among teachers, which could affect the quality of education and ability of school children to compete in sports, arts and other extra-curricular activities, which are vital for holistic development.
This, among others, he disclosed, motivated him to support the children and their schools to reduce feelings of shame, low self-esteem and social stigma because of the wearing of tattered clothes to school.
The CEO of the Akuapem-Larteh Non-Governmental Organisation broke down in tears when he spotted one of the children at Okanta Sraa Methodist Primary School, who was wearing a tattered cloth to school.
The young boy who should have probably stayed at home because of his situation, told the As I Grow team that he felt more comfortable coming to school in that state, than to stay at home.
In response, the CEO gave him a new uniform, books and school bag, and promised to get him a pair of shoes.
A teacher who spoke with this paper, on a condition of anonymity, expressed happiness for the mental condition of these young children, regardless of their situation.
According to the teacher, the children are not perturbed about their current conditions and that they are always focused when it comes to classroom work.
Boafo Kwaku Okanta III, the chief of Okanta, on his part, thanked management of the NGO for the kind gesture and further appealed for at least two computers for Okanta Presby Basic School.
According to the chief, insufficient facilities such as classrooms, libraries and laboratories have contributed to students’ ability to learn effectively, overcrowding and a lack of resources, citing some of the challenges of their Junior High School and the Kindergarten.
He described the state of the Junior High School as a death trap, with flying roofing sheets, visible cracks in the building, poor environment which needs immediate renovation or new structure.
The Okanta chief continued that teachers of the school have to use the canopy created by some huge trees as a makeshift staff common room, a situation that exposes the teachers to the mercy of the weather.
