Regina Appiah had been thinking about how she would provide the things her child needed to start senior high school because she did not have the money to buy the required items.

“I cannot afford these items. I do not have the money,” said Mrs Appiah.

She was among parents in Ejura Sekyedumasi who received school supplies provided by the Member of Parliament, Bawah Muhammed Braimah, for students preparing to enter senior high school.

The package has helped Mrs Appiah meet some of the costs she was struggling to cover, and she believes the support will help her child continue his education.

“These items will help secure my child’s future. I will be able to enrol my child in school, and I believe he will become great in the future, for me and for the country,” she said.

She thanked the MP, the District Chief Executive and other community leaders for the assistance and expressed the hope that similar support would be available to families in the constituency in the future.

“I pray that God protects our Honourable Member of Parliament so that, God willing, he will do the same thing again next year,” she said.

Franklina Sarpong was also concerned about how she would provide some of the basic items her niece needed for school, particularly a trunk and a chop box, which she could not afford at the time.

“I did not have money to buy a chop box and trunks. I had been worried about that for some time, but, God willing, I have now received a trunk, chop box, mattress, books and other items,” she said.

She said the support would allow her to keep some of the little money she has for other things her niece may need.

“Now I can manage the little money I have and use it to buy some of the smaller things my child needs,” she said.

Franklina said providing everything the children needed for school had been difficult for her family.

“When the children completed school, we did not have enough money to provide everything they needed,” she said.

She said she was particularly grateful for the trunk, chop box, rubber and the other items she received.

Why the support was introduced

Mr Braimah said the programme was introduced because parents still have to provide basic items when their children enter senior high school, even though tuition is covered under Ghana’s Free SHS programme.

“We know that we have Free SHS education, but when it is time for children to go to school, most parents are unable to provide them with the necessary items on the school prospectus, such as metal trunks, mattresses, pillows and other essentials,” he said.

The MP said 500 students are being supported this year with metal trunks, mattresses, pillows, exercise books and buckets.

Students who obtained aggregates from six to nine were automatic beneficiaries, he said, while the best students in their respective schools were also included.

Mr Braimah said the selection was also intended to encourage other students to work harder.

“I believe this will motivate the rest of the students to study hard so that, next time, they can also benefit from the package we are providing,” he said.

He described the programme as his contribution towards supporting students entering secondary school.

“We are putting this together as our widow’s mite to support students who are going to secondary school,” he said.

The cost of preparing for school

Mr Braimah said some students who qualify for senior high school can still struggle to begin their education because their parents cannot afford the basic supplies required by the schools.

“We have realised that, in some cases, students who qualify to go to senior high school are unable to do so because their parents cannot afford some of these basic items,” he said.

He said a complete set of the items being provided to each student was worth more than GH¢1,000.

“We expect that this support will go a long way to help these children in their education so that they can grow up to become useful members of society,” he said.

For Mrs Appiah, the assistance has helped her provide items she says she could not have bought herself.

Franklina said she was equally grateful for the support.

“I am truly happy to have received these items. It is not everywhere that you get this kind of support, and not everyone gets it,” she said.