The Headmaster of Ahuntem Darmang Municipal Assembly (M/A) Junior High School (JHS) in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly (NAMA) of the Eastern Region, Mr. Evans Lartey, has called on all stakeholders in education to come together in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning.
The Ahuntem Darmang JHS Headmaster charged Ghanaians to purge themselves from the syndrome of looking up to only the central government, and for that matter the Education Ministry, in the quest for quality teaching and learning.
According to him, the quality teaching and learning must be a shared responsibility for all major players in the educational sector, and not only one body, and called on the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Isaac Kwadwo Buabeng, philanthropists and organisations for support.
He made the call on Thursday during the commissioning of a new three-unit school block for Ahuntem Darmang JHS, funded by Blue Skies Foundation and its partners, Albert Heijn and Waitrose.
Mr. Evans Lartey expressed his profound gratitude to management of the Foundation for what he described as a wonderful gesture, at a time when the students and teachers had no place to teach and learn when it rained.
The Headmaster stated that the school lacked adequate furniture and infrastructure in order to accelerate the growing student population in the community.
He further indicated that, the roof of the old school building , which was built in 1962, when it rained, making teaching and learning unattractive for students and teachers, and appealed to the Municipal Assembly to come to their aid.
Mr. Evans Lartey disclosed that there was a very big gully created by running water in the school, which was a threat to the new building and students who had to cross it before entering the premises.
On his part, the Foundation and Corporate Affairs Manager, Mr. Alistair Djimatey, stated that the Foundation had made a significant impact on the lives of people and the communities it serves by providing funding for sustainable transformational projects that address vital social issues, promoted education, improved healthcare and sanitation, protected the environment, and promoted food security.
According to him, the Blue Skies Foundation was cooperation between the fresh fruit company, Blue Skies, and two retailers, Waitrose in the UK and Albert Heijn in the Netherlands.
He continued that the Foundation was structured in a way that enabled projects to be chosen by the people living within the communities where Blue Skies operates in Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt and Brazil.
To him, the Councils, which are made up of representatives of the communities “where we work, and our Board of Directors, ensure we follow a democratic process in how projects are prioritised, and take collective responsibility for overseeing the implementation and evaluation of all our initiatives.”
To date, the Blue Skies Foundation has invested in more than 120 health and education projects, including erecting school buildings, helped to complete rural sanitation projects, built fire stations and outfitted health clinics.
“The projects we invest in are chosen by farmers living within the local communities, and are overseen by a council of community representatives. Our Foundation projects have led to increased school attendance and academic performance, improved community health and sanitation, and achieved greater productivity among farming communities,” he added.
