The management of the Ashanti School for the Deaf has commended Kosmos Energy Ghana, a leading upstream deepwater exploration and production company, for renovating the dilapidated boys’ dormitory of the school.

The 300-bed renovated dormitory will accommodate nearly all the male students of 318, which is about 52 per cent of the entire student population.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony at Jamasi in the Sekyere South District of the Ashanti Region where the school is located, the Senior Vice President and Head of the Ghana Business Unit at Kosmos Energy Ghana, Mr Joe Mensah, said it is the firm belief of the company that its support will enhance the efforts of the government and the Parents-Teachers Association in order to create the perfect ambiance for social and academic work.

The facility
The facility has bungalows for Housemaster and House Mother, bathhouse, laundry area, electrical fixture and fittings among others. The school currently operates 5 departments - Kindergarten, Primary, Junior High School, Vocation and Blind units.

The school which was established over 45-years ago with nine pupils, two teachers and 12-non-teaching staff, has a student population of 608 pupils, made up of 290 females and 318 males and adequately staffed with 62 teachers and 60 non-teaching staff.

“As a good corporate citizen, we are pleased that our resolve to support the special school and that of the Ashanti School will help more than 300 male students of the school and will lead to the stimulation of the desires of the beneficiaries to excel in their education," he said.

Impacts
Mr Mensah said the move formed part of Kosmos Energy’s corporate response to the lingering effects of COVID-19 and external factors that have had a disproportionately negative impact on the most vulnerable members of society.

“As part of our support - Kosmos Energy Ghana as a good and committed corporate citizen is offering humanitarian relief to four state schools for students with special needs in Northern, Ashanti, Western and Eastern regions,” he said.

For the company’s commitment to the four state schools for students with special needs, the Ashanti School for the Deaf, he said, is the second of the schools to benefit from its humanitarian relief programme after Savelugu School for the Deaf last year.

The District Chief Executive of Sekyere South District, Mrs Catherine Reckling in a speech read on her behalf, commended Kosmos Energy for extending their support to the district and particularly the special School.

The oldest building
The Headmistress of the Ashanti School for the Deaf, Mrs Vida Aidoo said the renovated boys’ dormitory block was one of the oldest buildings in the school which had never seen any face-lift and was in a very bad shape until the company stepped in.

“The project by Kosmos Energy has left an indelible mark in Ashanti School for the Deaf by creating the perfect ambiance for the students who now have a decent accommodation,” she said.

Mrs Aidoo said aside from the support from Kosmos Energy, the other challenges of the school include the lack of equipment for the Blind Unit and Vocational Department. “Our students in these two departments require technical tools such as sewing machines, dress and shoe making materials, kente weaving equipment, Perkins Brailler machine among others to enable them function effectively and efficiently,” she said.

More support needed
She therefore called on other corporate entities in the region and other parts of the country to emulate the efforts of Kosmos Energy and other organisations, which have supported the school to enhance performance and increase the chances of students in entering the senior high level.

The District Director of Education, Mr George Adu Abrokwa said efforts of companies such as Kosmos Energy help in ensuring improvement in educational infrastructure.