The Savelugu Municipal Assembly of the Northern Region has handed over 1,800 units of dual desk furniture at a cost of GH¢419, 000 to the Municipal Education Directorate to aid in the delivery of quality education.
The cost of furniture was funded by the Assembly and will be distributed to 34 public schools in the municipality. It is expected to benefit over 3,600 school children.
At a handing over ceremony held at the forecourt of the Assembly, Hajia Ayishetu, who is the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Savelugu, said the intervention was in response to lack of classroom furniture at some schools within the municipality.
“As an Assembly, we thought through and decided that we had to use part of the District Performance Funding to provide furniture and classroom block at Botingli. The funding came and the importance that we attach to education made us to choose this project because we thought that we cannot allow the children undergo this calamity and in future, posterity would judge us as people put in charge of duty,” she said.
To her, the Assembly is committed to providing quality education for the younger generation. “This would help curb the indiscipline and unemployment rates in the area. Lack of infrastructure in schools has been a problem to the Assembly due to the inability of our young children to get furniture to sit on in order to concentrate on their education.”
She noted that the Assembly wishes to do more but is limited in terms of resources. She therefore appealed for support to enhance quality education and the welfare of the residents of Savelugu and its surroundings. The MCE also stressed the need for parents to invest in the education of the girl child, so as to prepare them for an independent life.
The Savelugu Municipal Director of Education, Dr. Issahaque Munawaru, commended the MCE and the Assembly for extending support to educational sector, adding that the desks have come at a time when there is the need for good spacing in classrooms during this pandemic period.
The Head Teacher of Savelugu JHS Block ‘A’, Inusah Adam, on behalf of the beneficiary schools, also expressed gratitude to the Assembly for the provision of the metal desks, noting that the metal ones last longer compared to the wooden one.
The event, which brought together assembly members, heads of the various educational institutions as well some stakeholders, also saw the MCE hand over Shea butter processing machine to the Kanshegu Suglo Mboribuli women group, as well soap processing machines to some individual women in the area to boost their businesses.
The items were procured with support from the Rural Enterprise Programme. The aim is to economically empower the rural women.