Businessman and Philanthropist, Yacub Adzagey, popularly known as “Ability” has donated sports and educational materials valued at Four Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (400,000,00) to the Ativuta Basic School near Agbozume in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta region. This was on Monday May 30, 2022.
The items include 210 dual desks, 130 tables and chairs, 210 school uniforms, 210 pair of shoes, 10 white boards, 26 laptop computers and accessories, desktop computers, a set of brass band, musical instruments, a projector, sound system, two sets each of football, volleyball and handball jerseys as well as footballs and boots.
At a colourful ceremony to handover the items to the school, a nephew of the businessman, Atsu Klugah, who spoke on his behalf said the donation was his way of giving back to society and part of his uncle’s efforts to improve teaching and learning in the school seeing that the school lacks the basic amenities (teaching and learning materials) for effective academic work.
According to him, access to good quality education should not be a reserve of only the rich and that no child should be denied quality education for lack of funds especially in Ativuta and surrounding communities. To this end, Klugah said plans are underway for the establishment of a scholarship scheme to support brilliant but needy students who hail from Ativuta to pursue studies and build careers in Law, Science and Technical disciplines.
He he said several acres of land have also been acquired for the construction of a sports academy in the community for the development of sports and also to train talented youth to build careers in sports. Klugah adviced parents, teachers, pupils/students as well as the entire community to take good care of the items promising that he and his uncle will continue to support the school and the Ativuta community as far as their strength can take them.
Headmaster of the Ativuta Basic School Aryee, Gideon Seth, in a welcome address was full of praise for the donors for extending such a big gesture to the school which he described as timely.
“As Oliver Twist, I will still ask for more hence am appealing to Mr Yacub Adzagey and Mr Atsu Klugah to also make the KG department of the school an ultra-modern one and a scholarship package for the form three pupils,” he stated.
He said the mission of the school is to create a conducive atmosphere for all learners to access learning through the provision of highly effective teachers focused on improving pupils’ outcomes through their commitment to ongoing professional development, quality teaching, evidence-based practices, monitoring and providing opportunities for community and parents to participate in pupils’ learning and decision making.
Aryee mentioned absenteeism, lateness, truancy, lack of textbooks, poor learning environment as well as lack of teacher motivation as some of the challenges facing the school but added that easy access to capitation grants, school feeding program, qualified and ready to serve staff a composed and dedicated PTA and SMC and support from Yacub Adzagey as some of the strengths of the school that makes it a preferred choice for learners adding that “although not the best, the performance of the school’s candidates in the BECE has seen significant improvement in recent years with the percentage of candidates gaining admission into second cycle institutions now 75% and above. He commended the staff of the school, the PTA and SMC chairpersons for their commitment and dedication to duty over the years and assured the donor that the items will be well taken care of and put to judicious use.
Ketu South Municipal Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Michael Yao Tsuiatorfe, in his appreciation message to Yacub Adzagey for the benevolence act, said feeling gratitude without expressing it is like wrapping a parcel without letting it out. He borrowed a quote from William Faulkner to express his gratitude thus “gratitude is a quality similar to electricity : it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all”.
He said the fact that the burden on government in the provision of social amenities was concerned cannot be over emphasized hence the need for various groups and individuals to come to the aid of education delivery in the Municipality. “Self-help projects by NGO’s, Old students, PTA and Philanthropists can as well contribute tremendously to education delivery in our Municipality”. The Director added.
Tsuiatorfe mentioned lack of accommodation for teachers, inadequate classroom blocks, Absence of ICT labs in schools as well as the bad nature of roads leading to some communities where schools were located as some of the demotivating factors to acceptance of reposting to the Municipality by facilitators(teachers) and appealed to government to help in addressing these issues. Assembly member for Nogokpo-Ativuta, Hon. Jonathan Agbagba(aka Alevia) who together with his unit committee lobbied for the Philanthropist’s intervention in giving a facelift to the school by previously constructing some classroom blocks and fence wall around the school and his subsequent donations described Yacub Adzagey as “a true son of the soil” who’s benevolence should be emulated by other well-meaning individuals in supporting the school and the development of the Ativuta community.
Nelson Ayivor || Ghananewsonline.com.gh