In the quest of the government to eliminate the canker of schools under trees in the country, the VALCO Trust Fund has constructed a two-unit block, with an ancillary facility, for the Afraso D/A Kindergarten School in the Amansie South community to facilitate improved education.
The project, which has replaced a derelict makeshift structure, would facilitate teaching and learning, and shield the pupils from the vagaries of the weather. Moreover, the project would curb overcrowding in the school.
Made up of KG One and KG Two, the ancillary classroom block is furnished with chairs and tables, coupled with bookshelves and white boards. It also comes with a modern lavatory facility, an overhead water reservoir, and a canteen.
It elimination of schools under trees started off with a projected budget of GH¢3.5 billion, and about eighteen classroom blocks have been constructed across the nation.
At the commissioning of a two-unit KG block at Afraso in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region, the Executive Director of the VALCO Trust Fund, Mr. Kelvin Kwaku Yeboah, disclosed at the event that sometime in 2021, President Akufo-Addo, as part of his quest to improve education in Ghana, waged war on schools under trees or dilapidated structures.
As such, Kwaku Yeboah tasked VALCO Trust Fund to replace schools with deplorable structure with befitting ones.
In line with the project, he revealed that about 18 projects had been completed, with an extra 14, which add up to the project.
The Executive Director appealed to the stakeholders to take very good care of the project.
Addressing the gathering, he stated that the objective of the president was to eradicate the challenge of children learning under trees.
As such this mission of the president has begun to see positive results in some parts of the country, a development, he noted, was a living testimony of the objective of the president to stop the schools under trees challenge.
On how the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) accrued by the assembly was disbursed, Mr. Clement Opoku Gyamfi, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Amansie South, indicated that the majority of the funds were geared towards education, because it could develop the district.
This development, according to him, had manifested in the performance of the district at the Junior High School level, adding that the Amansie South recorded 98 percent pass in the Basic Examination Certificate Examination (BECE).
The DCE disclosed that the district was made up of 86 communities, which were all looking up to the government for development, so the Afraso community should take good care of the project.
Mr. Stephen Addo Darko, Education Director for the Amansie South District, acknowledged that the Afraso D/A Kindergarten School had been battling overcrowding for some time now, as such, the government, through the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, Mr. Yaw Frimpong Addo, asked for schools which were in dire need of KG infrastructure, and this paved way for the VALCO Trust Fund to commence the Afraso KG project.
He expressed appreciation to stakeholders such as the VALCO Trust Fund, Clement Opoku Gyamfi, and the traditional leaders for their constant support for the project.
On his part, the Chief of Afraso, Nana Acheampong II, expressed appreciation to the President for the project, however, he appealed to the state to construct teachers’ quarters for the area, since accommodation was becoming a challenge for teachers posted to the communities.
