A non-governmental organisation, Fountain of Comfort Foundation has launched an initiative to improve the standard of education in the Oti Region.

The initiative would see the provision of academic logistics, infrastructure, and human capacity building to contribute to improving the performance of pupils.

The Executive Director of Fountain of Comfort, Comfort Atta said it was imperative to mobilise resources and help distressed schools to enhance academic performance, bridge the societal gap and promote inclusivity.

There is a widespread of schools with infrastructure and logistic challenges across the Oti region.

The Lakeside Junior High School in Dambai, the regional capital, is a typical example. Housed in an uncompleted building, the school is grappling with the lack of furniture and academic materials.

The headmaster, Denteh Samuel, explained that the school is handicapped in offering information and communication technology due to the lack of computers.

In the Adokofe community, the situation is more complex as less than 10% of the basic school's population has decent furniture.

They line up seated at the window section to have a little bit of comfort during lessons.

“The school was constructed by an NGO in 2022. It was taken over by the community and government. The community is trying but we need help. The mud building had its roof ripped off by rainstorm a few months ago. We don't have furniture, so the children sit on the window during teaching and learning.

“This is affecting us because they don't have the full concentration, their attention is quickly drawn to other activities in the area”, he said.

It was for this reason that the Fountain of Comfort Foundation initiated an aggressive agenda to support these schools in distress.

To kick-start the campaign, academic logistics were provided to about 8 selected schools including the aforementioned schools in the Krachi East, Biakoye, and Kadjebi Districts.

Madam Atta said her initiative is aimed at improving the standard of education by ensuring all schools have the best facilities to enhance academic activities.

This she believes would lead to better academic performances in the schools and the final exams, the Basic Education Certificate Examination.

“For some years now academic performance has not been good so we decided to start this initiative and provide some teaching and learning materials to augment the work of the teachers. I hope and pray the children will read the books provided for their benefit”, she said.

She emphasised that a campaign would be launched towards providing infrastructure in the schools that urgently need them to ensure they have suitable learning environments.

She outlined partnering with other philanthropic organisations and individuals to achieve this feat while calling on the government to also deliver on its responsibilities.

“We want to commit to bridging the gap between the privileged and underprivileged, thereby, creating a more inclusive, equitable, and well-informed society to support the educational journey of our future leaders”, she said.

The Executive Secretary of the Fountain and Comfort Foundation, Prosper Kwabena Soku said the donation was done with the support of the Member of Parliament for the Krachi East Constituency, Nelson Kofi Djabab.

He said they mobilised over GH₵150,000 to procure past questions textbooks which were distributed to identified distressed basic schools in the Oti Region.

He extended an appeal to all sundry to help the Foundation achieve its vision of accelerating education to ensure the right caliber of human resources are produced to aid in the socioeconomic development of the area.