Action Aid Ghana (AAG), a girl child-centered non-governmental organisation (NGO), has constructed and furnished a girl child-friendly model kindergarten (KG) block at the cost of GH₵300,000, for the Drobo D/A Primary School.
The project which was executed with funding support from Action Aid Italy, comes with ancillary facilities, including a mechanized borehole, playing ground, four-unit toilet, and urinals for boys, girls, and teachers.
Country Director, AAG, John Nkaw, handing over the facility to authorities in the district stated iterated the provision of the facility was an exhibition of the NGO’s long-standing commitment and determination to promote the rights of all citizens to equitable access to good-quality child-friendly public education that builds self-confidence and esteem of the people.
He said though the District Assembly had funding challenges, little priority was given to KG education infrastructure, adding that the Assembly and its partners could collectively do more in ensuring that schools in the communities were progressively provided with the appropriate KG education facilities.
Mr. Nkaw further called on the District Education Directorate to ensure the KG school was continuously handled by early childhood trained teachers so that children of the community can derive the maximum benefit from the model facility.
“We are very much concern about the education development in our communities, therefore AAG has over the years provided KG facilities in some communities across the country as part of its bigger advocacy for improving learning outcomes in the public basic education level,” he said.
The Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu-Banahene, who inaugurated the two-unit Kindergarten Block, constructed at the cost of GH₵300,000 for the Drobo D/A Primary School, near Badu in the Tain District of the region, commended Action Aid, for the quality of the work.
Adding to that, she stated that the provision of educational facilities largely depended on the availability of financial resources which is often a challenge due to the government’s overburdened situation.
She, therefore, called on other development partners and NGOs to complement the efforts of the government in providing essential social services for the betterment of the citizenry, saying “nation-building is about playing our part towards the welfare and well-being of our citizens.
I will urge local communities to be encouraged to engage in self-help projects for their benefits without waiting on the District Assemblies to provide everything for them”, she said.
Madam Owusu-Banahene further indicated that the nation has made tremendous strides in its endeavour to achieve the Universal Primary Education of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“I must admit that there is still a lot to do if we are to achieve universal primary education by 2030. While we acknowledge such constraints, it behooves all key stakeholders to rally and put in efforts to eradicate the obstacles which are hindering the achievement of goal four of the SDGs.
It must however be mentioned, with pride, that access to education has seen steady progress for the past years,” she said.
Taking his turn, Fidelis Ankobo, Headteacher, Drobo D/A Primary, stated that the kindergarten school’s current population is 81 pupils, and appealed for more teaching and learning materials, and improved infrastructure.
