Teaching and learning at Densuano Basic School in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, in the New Juaben South Municipality, has received a donation of computers from Barry Callebaut and Nyonkopa Cocoa Buying Limited.
The donation by these cocoa buying companies and chocolate producers is a gesture that has been welcomed wholeheartedly by students, school management, and the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) of the school as it is the first time the school has received computers for the study of information technology since its establishment many years ago.
The Managing Director of Barry Callebaut, Mamadou Ly, in an interview with Citi News after the presentation, said the gesture forms part of the company’s social corporate responsibility initiatives to enhance the teaching of ICT.
“Barry Callebaut as I said is the world’s largest chocolate processing company. We have settled in Ghana for 25 years now, and we are one of the largest processing companies in Ghana, and also one of the biggest cocoa buying companies in Ghana, and we have a program named ‘Forever Chocolate’. With ‘Forever Chocolate’, we have several dealers and by 2025, we want to have sustainable cocoa”.
“Having sustainable cocoa means that, we also have the communities to improve the livelihood, to improve living income, to improve also the literacy level that means that we need also to help students and children. So we have noticed that nowadays, if you don’t have high level of IT proficiency you cannot compete with the world and that is why we brought this donation of computers to Densuano Basic School”.
The Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, said the government will continue to collaborate with the private sector to improve education.
“I am a happy man today because of this gesture by one of the leading chocolate producers in the world. The future of these kids is education, and IT, so these computers will help shape their future well, and I must say that we in government will continue to partner with like-minded companies that have development at heart to improve our educational sector. It is true that government alone can not do it, and that is why we are going to partner with the private sector to do this”.
Student’s carry their own plastic chairs to school
The Headmistress of the school, Gifty Adams, who was equally elated about the donation, called on the government and other benevolent individuals to assist the school with furniture.
“Teaching information technology has been very hectic because we did not have any computer, so this donation will go a long way to improve the situation and make teaching and learning more exciting. I must say we are also currently facing a furniture situation here which is affecting teaching and learning in the school. Some students are sitting in threes on dual desks and others even have to carry plastic chairs from home to come to sit on it in school, so I will use your noble media platform to plead with the government and any other individual out there who is in the position to help us to come to our aid”.