Osu youth queen mother champions education support for vulnerable children

The Osu Oblantai Manye, Her Royal Highness Naa Maku Osɔŋnaa I, has launched the “Leave No Child Behind” Education Fund, a community driven initiative aimed at ensuring that financial hardship does not prevent needy but brilliant children within the Osu Traditional Area from accessing, remaining in and completing their education.

The initiative places education at the heart of traditional leadership and community development, creating a platform through which traditional authorities, families, businesses, philanthropists, educational institutions and development partners can collectively remove financial barriers confronting vulnerable children.

The launch brought together traditional leaders, educators, community stakeholders, families and supporters, signalling a growing recognition that educational exclusion cannot be addressed by parents and schools alone but requires sustained community ownership and intervention.

At the heart of the initiative is a powerful proposition: a child’s economic circumstances should never determine the limits of that child’s future. For many families, the cost of exercise books, uniforms, stationery and other basic school requirements can become an unexpected barrier capable of disrupting a promising educational journey.

Addressing the gathering, Naa Maku Osɔŋnaa I described the launch as more than the establishment of an education fund, saying it represented a renewed commitment to ensuring that every child in Osu had the opportunity to learn, develop and realise his or her potential. “Leaving no child behind is more than a theme. It is a shared responsibility,” she said.

The Oblantai Manye drew attention to children who remain out of school or face the risk of dropping out, not because they lack intelligence, ambition or potential, but because their families cannot consistently meet the financial demands associated with education.

She identified children from financially disadvantaged households, single parent families, children living with disabilities, girls at risk of dropping out and boys who have gradually lost confidence in education among those requiring special attention and support.

For Naa Maku Osɔŋnaa I, each vulnerable child represents a story that can either be constrained by circumstance or transformed when society intervenes before temporary financial hardship becomes permanent exclusion from education.

She said the intervention was ultimately an investment in Osu’s future because the children entering kindergarten today would eventually become doctors, engineers, teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, professionals and community leaders responsible for shaping Ghana’s next generation.

The traditional leader observed that the world was changing rapidly and argued that Ghana’s future competitiveness would depend partly on whether today’s children received the knowledge, skills, confidence and support necessary to navigate an increasingly complex society and economy.

She therefore called for the removal of obstacles standing between vulnerable children and the classroom, stressing that educational opportunity should not be reserved for families with the financial capacity to comfortably meet every school related expense.

Naa Maku Osɔŋnaa I situated the initiative within the historic role of traditional leadership, noting that chiefs and traditional authorities have traditionally served as custodians of culture, wisdom, identity and community welfare.

She said education must increasingly become part of that responsibility, particularly at a time when economic pressures and inequality can influence whether children receive the support required to fulfil their potential.

She cited the contribution of traditional leaders and community institutions across Ghana that have established educational funds and similar interventions, helping young people overcome financial barriers and rise to positions of distinction in society.

For Osu, she said the new fund was intended to build on that tradition by creating a structured platform through which residents, institutions, businesses, philanthropists and development partners could contribute to the educational advancement of vulnerable children.

Naa Maku Osɔŋnaa I captured the philosophy behind the initiative in a powerful statement: “When a king invests in a child’s education, the kingdom invests in its future.” The message placed the education of children within the wider responsibility of preserving and strengthening the future of the traditional area.

The fund will focus on three interconnected pillars access, quality and care reflecting an approach that seeks to address not only school enrolment but also the conditions required for children to remain in school, learn effectively and succeed.

Under access, the initiative will support areas including scholarships, school uniforms, exercise books, stationery and other essential learning materials, with the objective of preventing poverty from forcing children away from their classrooms.

The central concern is to ensure that a child’s seat in school is never left empty simply because a family cannot afford books, uniforms, stationery or other basic educational supplies.

The second pillar, quality, will focus on learning enrichment interventions, libraries and digital learning tools intended to improve beneficiaries’ educational experiences while strengthening their knowledge, creativity, confidence and critical thinking abilities.

The third pillar, care, will concentrate on identifying children at risk of dropping out and providing timely assistance before temporary financial difficulties develop into permanent exclusion from the education system.

The preventive approach is particularly important because once a child leaves school, returning can become increasingly difficult as economic pressures, family responsibilities and social expectations begin competing with education.

At the launch, Seven Great Preses Academy pledged to support the initiative by providing school enrolment opportunities for beneficiaries, strengthening the partnership between the traditional authority and educational institutions.

The commitment demonstrated the importance of partnerships if the fund is to move beyond a ceremonial launch and deliver measurable educational outcomes for children within the Osu Traditional Area.

The Headmistress of Labone Senior High School, Mrs Rejoice Acorlor, commended Naa Maku Osɔŋnaa I for the initiative and expressed confidence that the “Leave No Child Behind” Education Fund could eventually grow beyond Osu and make a broader contribution to education.

Mrs Acorlor called on the people of Osu to embrace the initiative and contribute generously towards its success, stressing that collective support would create better educational opportunities for children while contributing to the development of Ghana.

She also urged parents and prospective beneficiaries to make education a priority by investing in the education of their children, ensuring regular school attendance and encouraging punctuality. She stressed that parental commitment remained essential to helping children reach their academic potential.

Community support was demonstrated by Nii Saban Attsen, the Osu Dzasetse, who applauded Naa Maku Osɔŋnaa I for initiating what he described as a timely and worthy intervention. He made an initial contribution of GH¢1,000.00 and appealed to individuals, organisations and other stakeholders to follow his example.

Another significant contribution came from Mr. Lawance Quist, Head of Family for Lomo We of Osu, who, on behalf of the Lomo We of Osu, donated GH¢2,000.00 in support of the education fund and its mission of helping vulnerable children.

The combined initial contributions of GH¢3,000.00 from the Osu Dzasetse and Lomo We provided a tangible demonstration of community ownership and an early financial foundation for the initiative, while Nii Saban Attsen urged traditional leaders, philanthropists, businesses and residents to sustain the momentum.

The launch also featured the presentation of certificates to existing beneficiaries in recognition of outstanding academic achievement, exemplary character and commitment to excellence, providing encouragement for the beneficiaries to pursue even higher standards.

Naa Maku Osɔŋnaa I appealed to parents to ensure that their children remained in school, commended teachers for their contribution to shaping young minds and urged beneficiaries to use every opportunity created through the initiative responsibly.

She further called on corporate institutions, philanthropists, civil society organisations, traditional authorities and development partners to contribute to the fund, emphasising that its success should not depend on the traditional authority alone. “Don’t leave the fund only for Her Royal Majesty, but the fund belongs to all of us,” she said.

A practical dimension has also been added through a Back-to-School Campaign, featuring school supply bundles containing exercise books, pencils, pens, erasers, sharpeners, rulers, pencil cases, mathematical sets, colour pencils, crayons and other essential learning materials. According to the campaign information provided, supporters using CrossRem can select relevant Back-to-School bundles through Delcam Bookstore and identify an Osu school as the recipient school at checkout.

The initiative therefore seeks to transform ordinary educational supplies into practical instruments of inclusion, enabling supporters to meet immediate needs while contributing to the broader objective of keeping vulnerable children in school and giving them the tools to learn with dignity and confidence.

The ultimate test of the fund, however, will not be the ceremony surrounding its launch or the amount raised at the beginning, but the number of children who remain in school, attend regularly, improve their learning outcomes, develop confidence and eventually become responsible and productive citizens.

The fund now faces the important task of converting launch day goodwill into sustained financing, transparent beneficiary selection, effective monitoring and long-term partnerships. If that commitment is maintained, the “Leave No Child Behind” Education Fund could evolve from a community initiative in Osu into a sustainable model of traditional leadership-driven educational support, demonstrating that when a community invests in its children, it invests in the future of the entire nation.