710 Structures for schools in pro-poor communities

The Social Investment Fund (SIF) has built 710 structures for schools in pro-poor urban and rural communities under its Urban Poverty Reduction Project (UPRP), from 2007 to 2012.

This has helped reduce the dropout rate of pupils from 2.1 per cent to 1.8 per cent in the UPRP participating Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Impact on enrolment

The Executive Director of SIF, Mr Joseph Acheampong, who disclosed this in an interview, said infrastructure in those areas had increased enrolment of pupils in the junior high school (JHS) by 1.9 per cent.

He spoke of the Bonna D/A Primary in the Jaman South District in the Brong Ahafo Region, which was an entirely wooden structure, and the Adumasa D/A Primary School which was operating under trees, but now has modern six-unit classroom block each where classes are held.

Mr Acheampong added that there were others such as a modern early childhood development centre with kitchen store, water closet, washroom and urinal at Ada and a library equipped with relevant books for the Adanwomase JHS in the Kwabre District in the Ashanti Region.

He said he was happy that the construction of a number of early childhood centres in some of the participating MMDAs had resulted in a 60 per cent increase in enrolment of pupils in those MMDAs.

He disclosed that the SIF would provide about 5,952 school furniture for about 47 schools within the targeted communities, after the completion of such sub-projects.

Core mandate

He explained that those projects formed part of the core mandate of the fund to contribute effectively to reduce rural and urban poverty as a way of achieving the development goal of the country.

“The SIF has a vision to serve as a major channel for resource transfer to the poor by mobilising funds from development partners, government, local contributions and the private sector.”

“We work in partnership with government, development partners, private sector, NGOs, civil society organisations (CSOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs) through targeted assistance for a sustainable community-based development aimed at reducing rural and urban poverty in Ghana,” he further explained.

Social inclusion transfer

Mr Acheampong further indicated that under the UPRP, the development and strengthening of social inclusion at the local level resulted in the identification of 3,356 households and 10,096 persons for direct support amounting to GH¢730,730.

He said the provision of cash transfer to parents of needy schoolchildren under the UPRP resulted in 4,815 children of primary school age, who otherwise could not have been in the classroom, now enrolled in schools.

“The project also resulted in a 60 per cent increase in the enrolment rate of needy school pupils in its participating MMDAs,” he said.