Torgbi Dr. Korkudjaah-Boafo Tamakloe II, Dufia of Kpordoave and divisional chief of the Klikor traditional area has cut the sod for the construction of teachers common room, ICT centre, Library, an external urinal and a mechanized borehole for the Akatsavakpor M/A basic school, in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta region.
The project, a collaborative effort by the traditional ruler and his partners Prestodea Care Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) working to better the lot of children in deprived communities across Ghana is valued at One Hundred and Forty Thousand Cedis (GHC 140,000.00- without facilities) and is expected to take three months to complete.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony at the school premises on Friday, December 16, Torgbi Korkudjaah-Boafo Tamakloe II, emphasized the important role education plays in the socio-economic transformation of every nation and the need to prioritize and invest massively in the education of our children who are the leaders of tomorrow.
Borrowing a quote from Nelson Mandela- “education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to change the world”, the traditional ruler who is also a businessman said “our children’s future is very much dependent on the collective efforts of parents, teachers and all well-meaning individuals in society – it is a fundamental right to educate a child no matter where they live, however delinquency gives birth to poor education in most communities hence my desire to support efforts being made to improve upon education in Kpordoave and surrounding communities,” he said.
Torgbi Korkudjaah-Boafo Tamakloe II said, given the authority to oversee was not power to manipulate but an honour of perfection, adding that “a leader does not betray his subjects to his interests but honours the people who gave him the mandate to lead them”.
He commended the Prestodea Care Foundation for attending to his calls and taking up the initiative, adding that, it was his hope that academic work in the school will be greatly enhanced upon the completion of the project so that “our teachers would not have to sit any longer under mango trees to prepare their lesson notes,” he stated.
The divisional chief of Klikor stated that it had been his interest and desire to transform Kpordoave and the Klikor traditional area since his inauguration as traditional ruler and not to engage in the fraudulent sale of reserved lands for project development.
He cautioned against such acts saying his
interest was to transform Kpordoave and the Klikor traditional area and not to fraudulently sell land to the detriment of future generations.
“Our great grandparents knew the efficacy of preserving the land which had been their source of livelihood and wealth since 1892- If reserved lands out of ignorance are being sold and bought by impetuos personalities to the disadvantage of the youth, are we being sincere to them?” he quizzed.
He assured the people of Kpordoave of his resolve to guard against any unscrupulous acts by selfish and greedy persons selling the reserved lands and to resist any further attempts by these individuals including legal actions to change the status quo.
Torgbi Korkudjaah-Boafo Tamakloe II noted that he was not against the sale of individual family lands but rather reserved lands for development projects.
He added that as Protocol officer of the Klikor traditional area, it was his duty to re-enforce decency and dignity within the traditional area and assured Torgbiga Addo VIII, Paramount Chief of the Klikor traditional area of his readiness to explore the many opportunities within the traditional area to help generate the needed funds for developmental projects.
Dr. Samuel Peprah, founder of Prestodea Care Foundation, said the Akatsavakpor Basic School’s project was in line with the vision of his Foundation.
He said having paid a working visit to the school following Torgbi ‘s intervention, Prestodea Care Foundation took the decision to tackle the infrastructure deficit identified in the school and to “ensure that at the completion of the project we incorporate new and modern equipment and teaching and learning materials, in our bid to restore hope to the teachers and pupils of the school”.
He said Prestodea initially set out to help humanity by restoring hope to the hopeless. This the foundation does so by getting children off the street and putting them through school so they grow to become useful citizens who can contribute to nation building.
Dr. Peprah said, Prestodea Care Foundation has now expanded that drive to cover the provision of infrastructure projects for schools in deprived communities and building of ICT labs to help children in those communities catch up with the fast growing world of technology.
He pledged the foundation’s commitment to ensuring that the project was completed in time and applauded Torgbi Korkudjaah-Boafo Tamakloe II for his foresight and commitment to the welfare of the people of Kpordoave and surrounding communities and advised other traditional rulers to emulate such good and worthy causes.
Mr. Ignatius Kofi Futukpor, headmaster of Akatsavakpor Basic School, expressed appreciation on behalf of the school to Torgbi Korkudjaah-Boafo Tamakloe II and Prestodea Care Foundation for the project which he observed would go a long way in addressing the many infrastructure shortfalls of the school.
Mr. Futukpor outlined many challenges facing the school, including inadequate classrooms, lack of a decent place of convinience and urinals for both teachers and pupils, which he said was hampering smooth academic work.
Notable among these challenges is the lack of staff accomodation which made it difficult for pupil-interactions after school hours as most teachers lived outside of the community and called on other NGO’s and well-meaning individuals to help the school address these challenges.
By Leo Nelson || ghananewsonline.com.gh