The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bolgatanga East Constituency, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has appealed to the Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to ensure that the quota of the fund allocated to Members of Parliament (MPs) for development is released on time.
He said this during an event held to commission a six-unit class room block provided for the Nimolgo Primary School at Zonno-Zoore, a suburb of the Bolgatanga East District in the Upper East Region.
“If the administrator of GETFUND happens to watch or listen to this broadcast, the Administrator should know that there are MPs who are using the GETFUND allocation for very constructive developmental purposed and if he wants to use Bolga East as an example, he is welcomed to do so,” the MP added.
The modern school complex was fully funded with the MP’s component of the GETFUND. Dr. Ayine said although the project had been commissioned, the contractor was yet to receive the full payment for the execution of the project.
“We still owe the contractor. I hope that GETFUND would release funds very soon for us to pay the contractor for us to buy the computers and the furniture that the school needs.”
Children in the Zonno Zoore community hitherto had to cross a river before they could get access to formal education in the neighbouring community. Authorities at the Nimolgo Primary School say the provision of the new classroom block would serve as an incentive for people to send their wards to school. The facility consists of six class rooms, a staff common room, a computer laboratory and wash rooms.
“You would realize that the concept for this project is very different. It is high time we changed the concept of school infrastructure especially in rural areas. Education is the engine of growth and development of any society and I am happy that I am contributing in my own small way, using the little resources government has allocated to me as Member of Parliament for the area,” ,” the MP stressed.
The MP also advised the pupils of the school to study harder in order to become greater than him.
“I want the pupils to become better than I am. I want them to become men and women of substance so that this community would be uplifted by the education of its own people.”
The head-teacher of the school, Peter Awuni, expressed gratitude to the lawmaker for providing the facility but made a special appeal to the Bolgatanga East District Assembly and other benevolent individuals to provide them with furniture and computers. He also pleaded for the only road leading to the community to be fixed.
“Through my District Education Director I am appealing to the District Assembly to add to what the MP has done by supplying my teachers with dual desks. I am appealing for some computers so that our children will also have a feel of ICT education,” the head-teacher said.
Addressing the audience at the ceremony, the Bolgatanga East District Director of Education, George Asira, extolled the MP for his commitment to the welfare of the school. He also underscored the need for members of the community to get counted in the ongoing national Population and Housing Census (PHC) exercise.
“I want to encourage anybody hearing my voice to be part of this exercise and get counted. We need these numbers, facts and records to enable effective planning of government regardless of the parties we may belong as individuals. I am appealing to those of you who have your wards across the dam in other schools. We should have them here to fill the school. I also wish to appeal to the community to take care of the facility,” the Director stated.
Wisdom Adekurah/www.mywordfmonline.com