By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA
Danyame (Ash), Sept. 14, GNA – A Reverend Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Emmanuel Dela Tega, has converted an abandoned poultry farm into a makeshift school at Danyame, a settler community near Obenimase, in the Asante-Akim Central Municipality.
Most children, who had attained school-going age in the community, until the establishment of the makeshift school, do not commence basic education until they had turned 12 years.
Two Senior High School graduates working as cocoa farm labourers, have been engaged as teachers in the school, which is from the pre-school stage to primary two.
This came to light when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) accompanied the Jackson’s College of Education, based in Kumasi, to make a donation to the school, in response to an SOS sent by the Rev, Tega.
Named as the Victory Preparatory School, the Rev Tega said, most children of school-going age at Danyame, an isolated settler community do not attend school at all, since they had to trek 18 miles in four hours, to make a round trip to attend school at Obenimase, the closest community.
A few parents in this community, who saw the need to educate their children braced the odds to send their children at their tender ages to live with other family members to enable them to access primary education.
Other parents were left with no option but to keep their children home until they are 12 years old before they could access early childhood education.
Danyame is not an established community but a converging point, where settler farmers living in isolated cottages and hamlets meet to discuss issues of common interest as a people.
Rev Tega told the GNA that the idea came to him when he was posted to preside over the Obenimase Victory Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
Touched by their plight, he paid series of visits to the community to engage them on the possibility of establishing a school to address the age long problem.
After reaching a consensus to establish a school in the area, Rev. Tega approached the owner of an abandoned poultry farm to allow the community to use the structure as classrooms, which he obliged.
They then engaged two Senior High School leavers, who had migrated from the Upper East Region to work as labourers on cocoa farms, to teach the children.
Rev Tega then sent an SOS to the Jackson College of Education to come to the aid of the school.
The Jackson College has awarded scholarships to the two teachers to pursue a three year diploma in basic education at the College.
In addition, it has also donated a quantity of assorted teaching and learning materials, uniforms, shoes, as well as food items, such as cooking utensils, cooking oil, soft drinks and bags of rice, beans and gari to the school.
Mrs. Theodosia Jackson, Principal of the College, said the donation was a token from the school towards the promotion of rural education, which was the core vision of the college.
She praised Rev. Tega for bringing education to the children in such remote area and urged other philanthropists to support the school.
She said the College would continue to support the school and possibly look for financial support from other benevolent organizations and individuals to put up a decent classroom block for the school.
Rev. Tega said he was motivated by the bleak future that awaited the innocent children in the area without any formal education.
GNA
EKB/KKY
