A sod-cutting ceremony
to allow construction work to take place has been held at the Bechem School for
deaf.
MCE for Tano South
and Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II breaking the ground
A durbar which took
place at the school’s conference hall before the MCE cuts the sod saw
dignitaries like Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South, Mrs Mabel
Botokro, the Tano South Municipal Education Director, Mr. Thompson Asare, the
formal headmaster of the school and currently, the Brong Ahafo Human Resource
Director of Education, Mrs Alice Oppong
Adubia, the Headmistress of the Bechem School for the deaf and Nana Fosu
Gyeabour Akoto II, the Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Council.
In a short but
impressive opening address, Mrs Alice Oppong Adubia, the Headmistress of the
School said she was posted to the school in a year 2015 and hinted that after
assuming office, she found that the school needed staff accommodation, fence
wall, kitchen, classrooms, bathrooms and toilet facilities. She stressed that
due to the prudent measures put in place by the management of the school made
the school rehabilitates some of its existing structures.
On strategies to
acquire fence wall for the school, Mrs. Adubia said management of the school
and herself had several meetings with the MCE for Tano South to discuss the way
forward the school can be fenced and thanked the MCE, MP for Tano South
Constituency and Nana Fosu Gyabour Akoto II, for their leading role played to make
the school acquires such a wonderful package. She said since the school has
vast land, management is working assiduously to ensure the school is upgraded
to the university status by government.
Mr. Thompson Asare, the
Brong Ahafo Regional Human Resource Director of Education and formal headmaster
of the Bechem School for the deaf congratulated the MCE for Tano South
Municipal Assembly for taking a bold decision to fence the school.
On the importance of
the fence wall to the school and pupils, he said it will prevent thieves from
entering the school, encroachers and protect pupils from being attack by
criminals. He said when the fence wall is constructed it will help the teachers
and management of the school to properly monitor the pupils and others. He
urged consultant and contractor of the project to do diligent work to make the
fence wall lives longer to serve its intended purposes and also collaborate
with the management of the school to ensure the project is completed on time
scheduled. Mr. Asare used the occasion to catalogue some of the achievement of
the school.
Mrs Mabel Botokro, the
Tano South Municipal Education Director advised parents to pay regular visit to
their wards in the school to find out their challenges. She said when the pupils’
challenges are identified; parents can put in place strategies to address them
to make pupils stay at school to learn. She also used the occasion to plead
with the civil society organizations and philanthropists to come to the aide of
the school to augment the efforts government are putting in place to resource
the school.
In another development,
the MCE for Tano South, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi welcomed all participants
for honouring his invitation to attend the programme and carried greetings from
the offices of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo –Addo, the President of
the Republic of Ghana and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Brong
Ahafo Regional Minister, Hon. Evans Opoku Bobie and MP for Tano South
Constituency Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere. He said the inability of the MP to
attend the programme was that he had attended such equally important programme
assigned to him by Parliament and congratulated the headmistress and management
of the school for carrying out development projects in the school.
Hon. Collins Offinam
Takyi, the MCE for Tano South addressing the gathering
He said government is
committed to work to improve the educational sector and it is upon this reason
that the Tano South Municipal Assembly has put in place measures to cut sod at
the Bechem School for the deaf to fence the school to prevent thieves or
criminals from entering the school to steal the properties belonging to the
school and pupils. He also stressed that government has increased disabilities’
share of the District Assemblies Common Fund from two (2%) to three (3%) in
order to make people living with the disabilities meet their basic necessities.
He said not too long ago, Tano South Municipal Assembly released disabilities’
share of the common fund to the department of Social Welfare and Community
Development to procure start –up kits to the beneficiaries of the scheme and
said the Assembly will continue to release disabilities’ share of the common
fund to beneficiaries as and when the common fund comes.
Hon. Takyi charged
contractor to complete the fence wall project in six months to make it serves
its intended purposes and urged parents that since disabilities are not
inability, parents must provide the needed materials to their children at the
school and thanked teachers and management of the school for taking care of the
children and informed teacher to continue to impart their knowledge to pupils
to enable pupils become the good future leaders. He said management of the Tano
South Municipal Assembly has introduced scholarship award scheme to sponsor
brilliant but needy students and informed parents to advice their wards to
learn and benefit from the scheme.
In a closing remark,
Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, the Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Council who
chaired the programme said the Bechem School for deaf has played a significant
role in Ghana’s economy and since government’s effort alone cannot tackle the
challenges confronting the school, he calls on civil society organizations to
come to the aide of the school.
