Accra, July 26, GNA- Dr Irene Agyepong Amarteyfio, a Public Health Physician at the Dodowa Health Research Centre, on Wednesday, donated 200 exercise books and 40 novels to the Otoase Presbyterian Primary School in the Eastern Region.
The items were to help enhance the delivery of quality and accessible education to children in the school.
Dr Amarteyfio said the novel titled « The Girl Who Wanted to go to School » was written by her in honour of her late Mother, Mrs Margaret Oduraa Agyepong, who started her education at the Otoase Primary School.
She said the book talked about the beginning of her Mother’s life, her desire to go to school and the desire to demystify the notion that education was only the reserve of boys in the olden days.
She said the 78-page book had topics like « Introducing a Little Girl with a Big Dream », If you Leave Me Here I will Die », « I will Learn to Read and Write », « A Dream Come True », among others, to encourage students to read and pursue their future aspirations, irrespective of any obstacle.
According to Dr Amarteyfio, her late Mother was passionate to go to school but was denied the opportunity because her parent failed to prioritise girl-child education.
She said it took the intervention of a Presbyterian Minister, who advised her parent to send her to school because the Church was encouraging families to send their wards to school for a better future.
Dr Amarteyfio said her late Mother was one of the most successful members of the family because of her desire for education and encouraged parents to place more emphasis on girl-child education.
According to her, the only way parents could break the chain of poverty was through education, adding that, children need knowledge to have a better future.
She emphasized the need to educate young people, saying this would help secure a brighter future, not just for the children but for the larger society.
The Health Physician challenged parents to invest in their child’s education, adding that, the education of the girl child must be taken seriously because it is a recipe for the better growth of the country.
She urged teachers to become role models and mentors to girls by inspiring and guiding them on how to be confident and disciplined.
She encouraged parents to get a copy of the book for their children at the EPP bookshop, the Challenge bookshop and at the Tot to Teen School in Adenta.
Mr Eugene Quartey, the Assistant Headmaster, Otoase Presbyterian Primary School thanked Dr Amartefio for the gesture, saying that, the donation would encourage the students to inculcate the habit of reading.
He commended the efforts of the GET Fund for constructing a new six-unit classroom block for the Schools under Trees and Emergency Intervention Programme.
The Assistant Headmaster said the Ghana Education Service allocated 24 computers to the school’s computer laboratory but they were stolen and appealed to the public to come to their aid and support the school with computers.
