The Talensi District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. John Millim Nabwomya, has pointed out number of interventions and achievements recorded in the education sector since taking over as District Chief Executive
Hon. Nabwomya made the disclosure during an exclusive engagement with Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of Apexnewsgh on the “SPEAKOUT UPPER EAST” programme.
According to the DCE, the Talensi District Assembly, with support from the government and other stakeholders, has undertaken a number of projects aimed at improving teaching and learning, providing educational infrastructure and addressing some of the challenges confronting teachers and pupils in the district.
Hon. Nabwomya said the Assembly has completed a school block at Gazore under the Social Cohesion (SOCO) programme. Although the facility is yet to be formally handed over, he said it is already being used by pupils.
He further disclosed that the Assembly has commissioned a three-unit classroom block with an office at Gbey in the Gazore area.
Another three-unit classroom block at Gatu is also expected to be handed over shortly, he said.
The DCE also highlighted the completion and handover of a three-unit classroom block at the Tongo Senior High Technical School in the Baare Electoral Area.
According to him, the facility includes an office for the head of the school and a changing room for girls and was also completed under the SOCO programme.
Hon. Nabwomya said the Assembly has also procured educational furniture to improve the learning environment in schools across the district.
He disclosed that approximately 1,200 dual desks have been procured, alongside 24 hexagonal tables for kindergarten pupils and about 240 chairs.
He said the furniture was being assembled and prepared for distribution to beneficiary schools.
The DCE further spoke about the Assembly’s response to rainstorm damage that affected several schools in the district.
He explained that a heavy rainstorm in May caused significant damage to a number of school buildings, with some roofs ripped off.
The Assembly, he said, used its internally generated funds (IGF) to begin repairing some of the affected schools.
However, he noted that the situation at Gare Primary School became particularly challenging after another heavy rainstorm in August caused further damage to a section of the school that had already been affected.
Faced with limited resources, Hon. Nabwomya said he sought assistance from benevolent individuals, including Dr. Martin Kolbil Yamborigya, the Commissioner in charge of Domestic Tax Revenue at the Ghana Revenue Authority.
He said the Assembly’s engineers were instructed to assess the damage and prepare an estimate for the rehabilitation.
According to the DCE, the affected school block was eventually reroofed using what he described as high-quality aluminium roofing sheets.
He said the facility has since been put back into use.
Hon. Nabwomya identified teacher accommodation as one of the major challenges affecting education delivery in the district.
He explained that teachers posted to remote communities sometimes come from other regions and are faced with difficulties securing accommodation close to their schools.
According to him, where teachers are forced to live in nearby towns and travel long distances to their schools every day, valuable teaching time could be lost.
To address the challenge, he said the Assembly is conducting feasibility work towards constructing 10 self-contained rooms for teachers, together with a mechanised borehole, a 3,500-litre polytank mounted on a concrete stand and electricity.
The proposed accommodation facilities, he explained, will be located at strategic points to serve teachers from clusters of surrounding communities.
He said one such facility is currently being commissioned, while preparations are underway for two additional projects.
The DCE explained that the cluster approach would allow teachers stationed in nearby communities to access accommodation without necessarily having to travel long distances from larger towns.
The Assembly, according to Hon. Nabwomya, has also been supporting programmes organised by the District Education Directorate to promote girl-child education.
He cited recent support provided for a Girl Child Day programme organised by the Girl Child Coordinator at the District Education Office.
The initiative, he said, was aimed at encouraging girls to remain in school and supporting efforts to reduce challenges that could lead to girls dropping out.
Hon. Nabwomya said the interventions form part of the Assembly’s broader commitment to improving educational infrastructure, teacher welfare and the learning environment across Talensi District.
He expressed appreciation to the government, development partners, traditional authorities, individuals and other stakeholders whose support, he said, has contributed to the progress recorded in the education sector.
The engagement formed part of Apexnewsgh’s “SPEAKOUT UPPER EAST” programme, which provides a platform for district-level leaders to account to residents on development initiatives, achievements and challenges.
