Day: January 18, 2024

Mr Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, has handed over 150 metallic dual desks to the Municipal Education Directorate for onward distribution to public schools in the municipality.

This brings to 500 the number of furniture presented to the Directorate since August, 2023, when the Assembly handed over 350 desks to the Ghana Education Service.

The procurement of the desks, which was funded from the Assembly’s share of the Common Fund, was in response to a request made by the Municipal Education Directorate to the Assembly.

The furniture, the MCE was to help solve the furniture challenges facing public schools in the Municipality.

He emphasised the Assembly’s determination to support and promote quality education through the provision of educational materials, building of classrooms and provision of furniture to aid teaching and learning.

Touting his achievements since becoming the MCE, Mr Adansi-Bonah said the establishment of the KNUST-Obuasi campus
remained his biggest achievement.

‘I decided to make it a personal project to make sure the KNUST-Obuasi campus project sees the light of day,” he said.

‘I’m glad to say that the official commissioning of the project was done during my era.’

He cited the rehabilitation of old classroom blocks and construction of new ones, which was a deliberate policy by his administration.

Mr George Alfred Koomson, the Municipal Director of Education, expressed gratitude to the MCE and the Assembly for going to their aid, indicating that the provision of furniture for the schools would go a long way to improve learning outcomes.

He disclosed that seven schools, comprising three junior high schools and four primary schools would be benefiting.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A-ensonga Hearts, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), has presented 85 dual desks to the Amoyaama Primary School at Balungu in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region.

The gesture, which was part of the NGO’s ‘Furniture Project,’ aimed to supply furniture to deprived schools in rural communities to complement government’s efforts in education.

Ms Kenndicta A-ensonga Ajene, Founder and Executive Director of the NGO, at a ceremony to present the furniture, said Amoyaama Primary School was not the first beneficiary of her outfit and mentioned Ayopia Primary School which also benefited a borehole and educational materials.

‘We also supplied furniture to the Gorigo Primary in the Talensi District, constructed boreholes for the Kunkua and Gowrie D/A Primary and Junior High Schools both in the Bongo District,’ she said.

She said management of A-ensonga Hearts was concerned about the furniture deficit in basic schools, especially in rural areas, which she noted negatively affected teaching and learning ou
tcomes.

‘I just could not comprehend how none of the pupils from Kindergarten to Primary six, had no furniture to sit on. So, I quickly mobilized resources from my friends and members of the public to support the school,’ the Founder said.

Ms Ajene said through their contributions, the NGO was able to procure furniture not only for the Amoyaama Primary, but also the Father Lebel Memorial Roman Catholic Primary School at Lungu all at an estimated cost of GHS25,000.00.

She said the ‘Furniture Project’ appealed to members of the public and her friends to contribute towards the project to ensure that other schools in rural communities without furniture, also benefited from the project.

She said education was critical in the lives of the pupils, and advised them to take their studies seriously, respect their parents and teachers, so that they could turn the fortunes of the community around in the future.

Madam Rebecca Ayamga, Headmistress of the school, said the school was faced with several challenges includ
ing lack of potable water, inadequate teachers, among others.

‘The situation of the school was shameful. Fortunately, through appeals for support, I contacted A-ensonga Hearts and by the grace of God, the Founder extended support to us,’ she said.

Madam Ayamga thanked Ms Ajene and her team for the gesture and appealed to her to consider some other challenges of the school to promote effective academic activities.

Mr Michael Atoripoi, the School Improvement Support Officer for the area, urged management and pupils to properly maintain the furniture for future generations to benefit.

A pupil, Ms Theresa Atansiba, expressed gratitude to A-ensonga Hearts on behalf of her colleagues for the furniture, and said as a result of sitting and laying on the floor, their school uniforms were often dirty and torn, and they also had very terrible handwritings.

‘I would like to also appeal to her on behalf of my colleagues for a borehole to solve our water situation,’ the pupil said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has inaugurated a 13-Member Advisory Board for the College of Health Sciences (CHS) Endowment Fund.

A statement issued by the KNUST and made available to the Ghana News Agency said the 13 members comprising alumni and other eminent professionals in the health and other sectors would advise, raise funds, and oversee the operations of the CHS Endowment Fund among others as stated in their terms of reference.

Professor Owusu-Dabo administered the oath of office to the members of the CHS Endowment Fund Advisory Board and read to the members their terms of reference.

The CHS Endowment Fund Advisory Board has Mr Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, a former Director of the Ghana Law School and Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, the Special Advisor on Health, Office of the President, as Co-Chairmen.

The members of the Board include Dr Jemima Dennis-Antwi, the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ce
ntre for Health Development and Research; Dr Paul Sekyere Nyantakyi, CEO of MDS-Lancet; Ernest Bediako Sampong, CEO of Ernest Chemist Ltd; Dr Samuel Amo Tobbin, CEO of Entrance Pharmaceuticals, and Mr Kofi Nsiah-Poku, CEO of Kinapharma Pharmaceutical Ltd.

Others are Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, the CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority;

Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, CEO of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital; Dr Kwame Ofosu Bamfo, CEO of Alisa Hotel, and Dr Barima Kwabena Owusu Dapaah, CEO and Founder of Family Link Money Transfer Inc.

Professor Owusu-Dabo expressed Management’s gratitude to members for responding to the call of the University to serve on the Board.

He was confident that with the composition of the Board, they could exceed management’s expectations and go beyond the College.

Prof Owusu-Dabo stated that there was no way the Fund would not thrive, considering their expertise and achievements.

He reminded them that the core mandate of the University was to teach, conduct research, and render service to
the community.

Adding that in that light, all their actions should be guided by it, bearing in mind the vision of the University.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor emphasised the importance of the Board since the government’s subvention alone is inadequate in running and developing the University.

On his part, Prof Christian Agyare, the Provost of the CHS, stated that since he assumed office, the College had continued to engage in efforts aimed at improving the finances of the College.

The CHS Endowment Fund is a response to a call by management for each College in the University to establish one.

The Endowment Fund is focused on creating opportunities to retain Health Sciences graduates in Ghana to ameliorate some of the developmental challenges confronting the health sector of Ghana.

Prof. Agyare said the CHS Endowment Fund seeks to promote the training of health professionals of high quality, to undertake health research, especially investigating local diseases, to provide scholarships for graduate and undergr
aduate training, and to procure essential equipment and tools for research related to graduate training for health professionals.

He also thanked the members of the CHS Endowment Fund Advisory Board for agreeing to serve on the Board to improve the fortunes of the College.

Mr Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, Co-chair of the Board, on behalf of members of the Board thanked the Management of the University for accepting them to serve the University.

He pledged that they would work to improve fundraising and management and projects in the College.

Source: Ghana News Agency