As part of efforts to eradicate schools under trees in the country, the Valco Trust Fund with support from the Ministry of Energy has commissioned and handed over 17 schools to the Ministry of Education.
The schools, which consist of 14 Kindergarten, 2 Junior High Schools and 1 Primary school, equitably doted in 15 regions of the country, have all been fully fitted with modern Water closets, mechanized boreholes with poly tanks, canteens, storerooms, library, headteacher’s office, and have all been connected to the national grid.
Speaking at the official handing over ceremony of the schools at the Abomosu Presby Primary School in the Atewa West District of the Eastern Region, the Executive Director of Valco Trust Fund Kelvin, Kwaku Yeboah, who indicated that his outfit can construct a lot more with less funding, says the Valco Trust Fund intends to fix air-conditioners for all the libraries, staff common rooms and head teacher’s offices, and also provide them with modern computers with powerpoint presentation equipment to end the phenomenon of teachers rejecting postings to deprived schools.
“We can always do more with less funds because with only one hundred and sixty-two million Ghana cedis, we will be able to build 500 of the KG schools or 260 units of the Junior High School or 212 units of the primary schools with all the modern facilities. Our intention is to fit the offices of the headmaster’s and headmistresses and the staff as well as the libraries with air conditioners and provide these schools with modern computers and PowerPoint presentation equipment going forward, and these will be done irrespective of their locations in the country.”
“We are committed to improving the educational sector in the country to motivate teachers and ensure that teachers do not reject postings to rural areas, and so I will use this platform to call on the community chiefs and the people of the beneficiary communities to maintain these facilities and put them to proper use”.
A Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. Ntim Fordjour, who indicated that the government is committed to ensuring that schools under trees become a thing of the past, says between 2017 to date, government has completed and handed over for use a total of 1,001 projects it inherited from the previous government.
“On behalf of the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, we thank most sincerely the efforts of Valco Trust Fund and we cherish this partnership with the Ministry of Energy and their affiliate agencies in ensuring that one of the very important visions of the President and government is being tackled.”
“It is my understanding that in the next 5 years, Valco Trust Fund seeks to build 5,000 of such schools. That is a huge vision that we cherish so much. Today, we are here to commission one of them at Abomosu Presby Primary and 16 others also spread equitably across the length and breath of the country. This effort, when realized, teaming up with what government had already invested in heavily and continue to invest in the Ministry of Education and GETFUND, we will be able to ensure that Ghana becomes a nation where schools under trees become a thing of the past”.
“Between the year 2017 to date, to demonstrate government’s commitment to eradicating schools under trees and providing befitting infrastructure for our students and teachers at all levels of education, a total of 2,016 infrastructure projects were initiated, many of them have been completed, and those that are on going are also receiving serious attention for their timely completion.”
“Projects that this government inherited which were started under the previous government from Kindergarten to SHS levels, a total of 1,001, have been completed and have been handed over for use in various regions”.
Speaking at the same event, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Member of Parliament for Karaga, Alhaji Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, called on agencies and other ministries to support the Valco Trust Fund to help government eliminate schools under trees once and for all.
“Since the discovery of oil, government has used the revenue in many sectors of the economy including the Free Senior High School program and the Valco Trust Fund decided to lead this effort with an amount of six million and eight hundred thousand cedis to start the construction of 18 schools in all the regions of our country.”
“The Valco Trust Fund does not have all the money because there is no sustainable source of funding for this project currently, and my Minister has personally appealed to all agencies in the ministries to continually support the Valco Trust Fund so that we will be able to eventually complete the elimination of all the 5,000 schools under trees”.
