Teacher's quarters inaugurated at Ekumfi Srafa-Kokodo

Srafa-Kokodo (CR), Oct 20, GNA - A Five Hundred and Twenty Four million-cedi teachers' quarters has been inaugurated at Ekumfi Srafa-Kokodo, in the Central Region.

The two quarters to accommodate six teachers were provided by the Ghana Union, UMEA, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Sweden with funds donated by two other Swedish organisations, FORUM SYD and SIDA.

The Ghana Union, an organisation of Ghanaian citizens in Sweden and Swedish Friends of Ghana also donated stationery worth about 6.9 million cedis to the local Methodist School.

In a speech, Mr Samuel Appiah-Kubi, Chairman of the Union said the organisation provided a six-unit classroom block for the community about two years ago and paid school levies for the pupils last year. He said that since the capitation grant had taken care of such levies, the Union decided to use the money this year to buy the stationery for the children.

Mr Appiah-Kubi expressed regret that the pipes the Union laid in 1997 to provide potable water for the community had become "a white elephant" and appealed to the MP for the area and the DCE to help the area to get good drinking water to prevent diseases. He urged the people to see amenities provided by the Union as their own and to ensure their regular maintenance.

Mrs Anna Hellgren, Secretary of the Union, stated that it was only education, which could change their world for the better and advised the people enrol their children of school going age.

She expressed the hope that the facility would motivate the teachers to give out their best to help the children. Mr George Kuntu Blankson, Member of Parliament for Mfantseman East, described illiteracy as "the nation's number one enemy" and urged Ghanaians to invest in the education of their children.

Mr Kuntu Blankson appealed to Ghanaians not to let politics, ethnicity and religion to divide the nation but to see themselves as one people with a common destiny.

The MP appealed to the Ghana Union to provide computers for the Ekumfi T.I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School, the only second cycle institution in the Ekumfi Traditional Area and beds and equipment for the Essuehyia and Otuam Health Centres.

Mr Robert Quainoo-Arthur, Mfantseman District Chief Executive, commended the country's development partners for supporting the government.

He said the Assembly was sponsoring the training of 100 teachers every year for the past three years to work in the District after their training.

The DCE said the Assembly was also supporting some needy students in Senior Secondary Schools with 600,000 cedis each every year while those in boarding houses were getting 1.2 million per student a year. Mr Quainoo-Arthur assured members of Ghana Union that water would be provided for the people on the completion of rehabilitation work at the Kwanyaku and Baifikrom Water head works.

Mr Albert Ninsin, Circuit Supervisor for the area, said education was collaboration between parents, teachers, the government and the child and said if all the stakeholders played their roles effectively good result would be achieved.