AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine has donated assorted teaching and learning materials worth GH₵53,000 to Benso M/A Basic School in line with its commitment to improve access to quality basic education in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.
The donation was done in collaboration with Nana Abena Kunadjoa II, the Queen Mother of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area and Founder of the Nana Abena Kunadjoa II Foundation. The teaching and learning materials included 3,000 exercise books, 750 notebooks and 800 approved textbooks covering all the subject areas.
Presenting the items on behalf of the mine, Ag. Senior Manager-Sustainability, Enoch Osei, noted the pivotal role education plays in the growth and progress of every society, and reaffirmed the mine’s commitment toward ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all, in line with Sustainable Development Goal four (SDG 4).
“This donation shows Iduapriem Mine’s commitment toward ensuring that students in our catchment area are supported at every stage of the academic ladder to realise their potentials, and we are very hopeful that these items will contribute to improvement in the school’s academic performance,” he said.
Receiving the items, Headmaster for Benso M/A Basic School, Peter Kofi Amankrah, expressed gratitude to Iduapriem Mine and the Nana Abena Kunadjoa II Foundation for their kind gesture. He is hopeful the teaching and learning materials will go a long way to alleviate the plight of teachers and pupils in the school, and contribute to improved academic performance.
“This donation will really help the school and help increase enrolment, as teachers will no longer have to improvise to help pupils understand lessons due to inadequate learning materials,” said Mr. Amankrah. “This situation affected the quality of education and resulted in a general lack of interest in the school by parents and students.”
On her part, the Queen Mother of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, Nana Abena Kunadjoa II, commended the mine for its continuous support in improving the quality of education in its host communities, and urged the headmaster of the school to take good care of the learning materials and use them for their intended purpose.
