The Damongo Catholic Diocese is building teachers bungalow at the Busunu St. Peter Canisius R/C Junior High School in the West Gonja district of the Northern Region.
The project is in line with the Catholic Mission’s agenda to continuously support government’s plan to improve the standard of education, especially in rural communities.
With 85% funding from Kindermissionwerk, a German Church donor agency, the cost of the 8-unit project is Ghc427,380.
The contractor is expected to complete the project before the end of 2018.
The Vicar General of Damongo Diocese, Msgr. Augustine Towoni at the grounds breaking ceremony bemoaned lack of maintenance culture in Ghanaian societies and thereby implored opinion leaders in the Busunu community to own the project when it is completed.
“The self-contained facility which with a porch and a kitchen comes as a great sense of relief to both the school authorities and the teaching staff. Hence it will only be appreciated if the community embraces the facility as their own.”
The Diocesan Development Coordinator, Rev. Fr. Lazarus Annyereh commended the Kindermissionwerk for funding the project.
“In view of the difficulties confronting the teaching staff of the school, the Diocesan Development office with the recommendation of the Diocesan Bishop, Most Rev. Peter Paul Angkyier, solicited for funds from the Kindermissionwerk, a German Church donor agency to construct the facility.”
“The facility will house teachers who are not from Busunu but assigned to teach in the school. The Catholic Church is a giant contributor to the spiritual, social, physical, psychological and material well-being of the human person in the world.”
Fr. Lazarus Annyereh explained that “The Church does all these developmental projects through her socioeconomic activities. The provision of the facility is a clear indication of the church’s mission in holistic development.”
The school’s Headmistress, Madam Veronica Kusonu showed appreciation saying, “a number of efforts by my outfit to reach out to benevolent organizations and government agencies to help put teachers quarters for the school turned out with no results, hence the timely intervention of the church in this regard is highly commendable.”
“The ordeal teaching staff passed through in the hands of some landlords and other related issues were unpalatable moments,” she recalled.
A member of the Parents and Teachers Association and students of the school also thanked the Catholic Church and the donor for the intervention.
The Diocesan Consultant, Sylvester Dery charged members of the community to offer communal labour during the construction.
“In doing this, members should at all times endeavour to use the appropriate quarters to resolve any challenges or problems that may arise in the construction process rather than confronting the contractor in an impolite gesture or manner.”
The contractor, Philip Kelly Jenkren promised to complete the project on schedule.
The Damongo Diocese can so far boast of 200 schools built in the West Gonja, Central Gonja, Bole, North Gonja and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba districts.
The Catholic Church is a major contributor to the promotion of quality education in Ghana.
The Church has overtime demonstrated its commitment to building the nation’s human resource capital through quality teaching and the provision of infrastructure for schools.
By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citinewsroom.cim/Ghana
