“Politics is about contest, not hatred.”

That was the opening message from the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, as he stepped onto home soil in Nadowli-Kaleo on Monday, June 8.

It was aimed squarely at critics of the District Chief Executive (DCE) Mary Haruna.

“I always support her because from her childhood, she’s grown up with me. I brought her up; we did everything,” Speaker Bagbin told a packed crowd of teachers, chiefs, and parents.

“Some people are against her; that’s your own problem. The one who wins will get my support. When you are losing, I will encourage you: better work next time.”

He urged the NDC and the community to end petty fights.

“The DCE cannot sit down on her own and be awarding contracts – the law doesn’t allow that. When the person wins, they will bring development to the area. Let’s stop these petty differences.”

The former Nadowli-Kaleo legislator also raised concern over stalled development at the Assembly, blaming the lack of a Presiding Member.

“Because we don’t have a Presiding Member for the Assembly, some funds are locked up. We cannot move forward without that leadership in place,” he said.

He called on Assembly members to resolve the issue quickly so projects and contracts can proceed.

After addressing politics and governance, Speaker Bagbin turned to education, handing over 16,584 sets of uniforms to 7,884 boys and 8,700 girls in 151 basic schools across the district. The supply came through his intervention with the Ghana Education Trust Fund.

For many young learners, the timing was personal. At Queen of Peace SHS, enrolment has doubled from 300 students 10 years ago to over 600 today, with no new infrastructure or furniture.

“There is even no space for someone to sit, no space for someone to sleep, just overcrowding,” Speaker Bagbin lamented. “Out of over 100 tutors at Queen of Peace, only 11 have accommodation. Some are living in Wa and struggling to come and teach here. It is not possible. Government cannot do it alone."

The Speaker said uniforms are not just cloth.

"When children wear uniforms, it reduces socioeconomic distinctions. The desperate display of wealth creates social hierarchies, bullying, and exclusion. Wearing clean, decent, and attractive uniforms builds discipline."

He called tattered uniforms “a dent on the reputation of parents, on those of us who lead this country, and on political leadership.”

But he warned that uniforms alone will not fix the district’s education crisis. Pointing to the severe housing shortage for teachers, Bagbin called on Nadowli’s sons and daughters to build.

“Look at Accra, Kumasi and Wa, it is not the government that built structures there. The citizens, the sons and daughters, have done that. I will come and sit with the landlords. They should give out land for people to develop.”

Speaker Bagbin closed with a personal tribute to teachers, saying they made him who he is today.

“Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am. I’m extremely grateful. I’m so lucky my Primary One teacher is still alive. If you go to Atebebu, you will hear of Teacher Adu. He came and opened the Roman Catholic school in Sombo and started teaching us.”

He rejected the idea that teachers should wait for reward only in heaven.

“I don’t believe the reward of teachers is in heaven. No. It’s also on earth. That is why I instituted the Teachers’ Award here in Nadowli-Kaleo, long before the nation did. We were the first to do it.”

The uniforms were handed from Bagbin to the MP, then to the DCE, and finally to the acting District Director of Education for distribution.

Speaker Bagbin further broke ground for a 24-hour economy market in Nadowli and commissioned two new six-unit classroom blocks at Naro and Guree, funded by the District Assembly Common Fund.

Nadowli-Kaleo MP Anthony Sumah Mwinkaara said the uniforms would improve attendance and learning outcomes. But DCE Mary Haruna delivered the day’s toughest line:
“We must confront the fallen standards of education in this district, especially our BECE results. Improving education will require all of us: government, parents, teachers, chiefs, and the community.”

For Nadowli-Kaleo pupils, the message was simple: show up, stand tall, and learn in dignity. For the district’s leaders, the task now is to fix the Assembly’s leadership gap, build houses for teachers, and deliver better results.