AFRIKIDs support Children in school

Bawku, Sept 22, GNA - Afrikids Ghana has donated over 10 cartons of exercise books, pens, pencils and files to over 1,500 school children in the Bawku Municipality, who have undergone the nine months learning cycle in communities.

The children are the 4th cycle of learners since the start of the Complimentary Basic Education (CBE) in Binduri and Bawku Municipal, who are being transitioned into various schools to start formal basic school.

The children, made up of 707 girls and 879 boys, graduated out of the 1,586 children, who enrolled initially for the programme, and are due to start primary education. Fourteen of the children, 3 girls and 11 boys dropped out of the training.

The occasion coincided with 'My first day at school', and was witnessed by Afrikids Ghana and its implementing partner CBE.

Mr Sumaila Bukari, Headmaster of Naranzua Primary school said the school received 33 children for the 2017/18 academic year as against 27 in 2016 /2017, adding that, the children are progressing well in the school.

Mr. Bukari, explaining how the placement of the pupils was done at the school, said apart from screening, the pupils were assessed on identification of alphabets, which was key.

On level of performance, he noted that, though the children were moving into the formal class at a later stage of their lives for the first time, each child was required to be self- confident and ready to commit him or herself to learning, adding that, the school was also prepared to give out their optimum best to educate them.

While acknowledging the learning challenges of such children, Mr Bukari said the school gives special attention to all children who may have any form of learning difficulty.

The headmaster said the school had four trained teachers, with occasional training programmes for other teachers under the CBE, and that, it was prepared to take up the challenge to enhance teaching and learning in the school.

He commended parents for understanding the concept and allowing their children, who hitherto were not in school, to participate in the programme to enable them to enter a basic school, and urged them to encourage their children to remain in school.

Mr Richard Amoah, AFRIKIDs CBE Coordinator said the cycle four, which included Bawku Municipality, Binduri, Bongo and Talensi districts, officially came to a close in June with graduation of the children, pending formal entry into schools in September.

He said the fifth and a fresh cycle had just started in the Pusiga district of the Upper East and Karaga in the Northern Region, and that, his outfit was commitment to post transitional activities, which he said Afrikids would ensure that all children were fully integrated in schools.

He also assured of continuous collaboration with the Ghana Education Service for effective implementation of the CBE programme.

GNA
By Fatima Anafu-Astanga, GNA