Children in Ketu North MA/ARS Basic School in Tadzewu in the Volta Region have endured a harsh learning environment with no classrooms for kindergarten (KG) for years, affecting learning outcomes.
The headteacher of the school, Smile Mensah, bemoaned the situation and its adverse effect on teaching and learning. The KG closes abruptly whenever it threatens to rain.
A dilapidated pavilion built by the ARS church has served the KG sector for decades. Mensah said the school lacks furniture and sanitary facilities, leading to low enrolment.
Three-unit classroom block
Pencils of Promise (PoP) is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that supports communities with school buildings, water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives and teacher support across several countries. It operates in the Volta, Oti and Eastern regions in Ghana.
The PoP team, led by its country director, Freeman Gobah, visited the school on Tuesday 6 June to cut the sod for a three-unit state-of-the-art classroom block and sanitary facility for the school. The country director said PoP will provide 80% of the project fund – including the services of a contractor, provisions of furniture, teaching and learning materials and other resources – and the remaining 20% – including communal labour – covered by the community and the municipal assembly.
Gobah urged the community to support the project which is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2023.
The municipal chief executive, Anthony Avorgbedor, lauded the organisation saying it has already built ten school blocks in the municipality. This is its 11th project.
Avorgbedor advised residents to properly manage resources for the building project and practise a good maintenance culture when the project is completed.
The chief of Agbevekope, Togbe Agbeve Ayrim II, thanked the NGO and promised the community’s commitment and support towards project.
An official from the education directorate of the Ketu North municipal assembly, Heliot Tay, promised the directorate’s support and assured the NGO of a fruitful collaboration. He called on the community members to give the NGO staff a warm welcome always.
Since the beginning of its operations in Ghana about ten years ago, PoP has built over 198 schools and supported with modern teaching and learning materials.
Reporting by Albert Kuzor in the Volta Region
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