Doggho, (UW/R), May 25, GNA – The Chief and people of the Doggho community in the Jirapa Municipality, have taken the initiative to build a community self-help school to help bring formal basic education closer to the children in the area.
Na Adam Puoyel Maalo, the Chief of the community, observed that children in the area trek about 3km to 6km to attend school at Kunzokala, which was a source of worry.
He indicated that pre-school children were unable to attend school at the right age due to the distance from the community to the school, hence their decision to open a pre-school in the community.
Na Maalo announced during a homecoming ceremony of the people of the community at the weekend, which was on the theme: “Education, Unity and Development”.
It was to seek support from the stakeholders and well-wishers in the municipality to establish pre-schools in the Doggho community to bring formal education closer to the children.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr Cletus Seidu Dapilah, the Jirapa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Nicholas Soyiri, and the representatives of Azuma Resources Limited among others attended the event.
Na Maalo said the community had allocated lands, which could be developed into pre-schools and called for the support of the stakeholders and benevolent individuals and organisations to come to their aid.
“We are of the conviction that we cannot be seeking to improve education outcomes without addressing the barriers that affect access to education”, he intimated.
He explained that the area needed at least four pre-school facilities to be situated in all the sections of the Doggho community – Doo-Tamparenzien, Doo-Zakpaayir, Doo-Zusorr, and Doggoh central.
The chief also identified the lack of electricity in the community as a major setback to the development of the area and the academic performance of the school children as they could not learn at home during the night.
“Electricity has become a basic necessity for education development yet electricity connection has eluded the bigger part of the Doggho community for so long”, he said.
Na Maalo also appealed to the authorities to facilitate the electrification of the community as well as constructing the road leading to the community to help alleviate their plight in accessing markets in other communities including Jirapa and Babile, particularly in the rainy season.
Mr Cletus Seidu Dapilah, the MP, stressed the need for parents and guardians to take the education of their wards seriously since it was the only reliable panacea for personal, community, and national development.
“We don’t have cocoa or gold here; the only source of wealth God has given us is our brain to learn. So, parents let’s support the children with what they need to stay in school like pens, books and uniforms”, he said.
He explained that parents and guardians should sometimes force their children to go to school because children did not know the importance of education at their age.
Mr Dapilah pledged to support the education project with 100 bags of cement with the MCE pledging 200 bags of cement while Azuma Resources Limited pledged undisclosed support to the project.
Source: Ghana News Agency
