School Children at the Kedzi AME Zion school can now learn in a well furnished classroom for effective teaching and learning after the MP for Keta Constituency handed over three unit classroom with offices.

The Ghc258,000 project was initiated and funded from the MP’s share of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) in collaboration with the Keta Municipal Assembly (KMA).

According to the residents, the handing over of the facility would go a long way to address some of the major classroom accommodation facilities facing the school for several decades. The school, which has an enrolment of almost 600 pupils, has been battling with serious infrastructural challenges for several years.

Speaking at the event, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Richard Mawuli Kwaku Quashigah noted that even though the facility was too mediocre to celebrate for a school that still needs additional classrooms, the current new structure would go a long way to augment the academic laurels of the school in coming years. According to him, his outfit together with the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) would continue to knock at the doors of government and NGOs in order to get the needed additional classroom accommodations for the school.

Mr. Quashigah described educational activities and academic performance of pupils and students in the region including the Keta Municipality as nothing to write home about. He therefore stressed the need for a stakeholder engagement of all educational parties and gurus in the region to brainstorm about the issue to urgently bring about a turn-around of the situation.

The MCE for the area, Seth Yormewu, commended the MP for the judicious use of his funds for their intended purposes. According to him, such a commitment and the zeal to serve the people of the area is positively impacting the lives of the citizenry. He assured the Kedzi school community of the Assembly’s classroom block support to help completely eradicate the “school under trees” syndrome in the area.

Mr. Yormewu expressed grave concern about the poor culture of maintenance in the area and charged the Management of the school and the Kedzi community to regularly maintain the facility so as to prolong its lifespan.

The MCE expressed concern about the abysmal performance of pupils in the 2018 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the municipality. He also lamented about the high rate of teenage pregnancy among school girls in the municipality, adding that available statistics put the municipality ahead of all districts across the region. Mr. Yormewu used the occasion to charge both parents and teachers to help address the situation.

The headteacher of the school, Ellias Kosi Biddah was grateful to the MP and MCE for their collaborative efforts, which eventually resulted in the provision of the facility. He mentioned lack of furniture for staff and pupils, inadequate number of teachers, lack of textbooks as well as security as some of the major challenges that continue to bedevil effective teaching and learning in the school.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Assembly Member for Kedzi, Gershon Wemegah described the provision of the school block to the school as a dream come true. Like Oliver Twist, he used the occasion to appeal for more in order to ensure effective teaching and learning in the school. Mr. Wemegah also reminded the MCE to bring into fruition the construction of a modern Kindergarten Complex facility for the Kedzi AME Zion Basic School. According to the Assembly Member, the proposed project was captured in the 2017 budget of the Assembly but was yet to see the light of day due to funding challenges.