GES to withdraw teachers from AGA School

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has threatened to withdraw all teachers from the AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) School in Obuasi by the end of this academic year if AngloGold Ashanti Mines insists on privatising the school.

The mining firm, owners of the school, has written to the GES for the school to revert to the company in order to affirm its principles and values and maintain its standard.

The Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, Mr Maxwell Amoako, told the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the commissioning of the first-ever educational institution at Nyhieso, a suburb of Obuasi by the AGA Community Trust Fund, that a tripartite meeting between the GES, the mining company and the municipal assembly had been initiated to address the impasse.

Leading school

The AGA School, one of the leading schools in the Ashanti Region, was established in 1987 with the aim of providing quality education to children of workers of the mines. It was a collaboration between the mines and the GES at the time until the government took over completely recently.

However, per the last correspondence between the school and the GES, the school’s authority insisted it reverts to AGA.

 Mr Amoako who is leading the mediation team was, however, optimistic that a common ground would be found for the company and the GES to continue to collaborate.

Project commissioning

The AGA Community Trust Fund, a welfare fund of the company, constructed and handed over a two-unit pre-school to the people of Nhyieso at GH¢306,553.85.

Hitherto, children had to trek long distances to Apetikooko, Anyinam or Bediem to attend school.

The presentation by AGA-Community Trust Fund followed the building of a Child Welfare Clinic at Amamom,  provision of an educational grant for 100 students and other facilities valued at GH¢223,200.03.

 The Sustainability Manager of AGA, Nana Ampofo Bekoe, expressed the hope that more money will be invested into the fund once the mines commenced operation.

Currently, the mining firm is undergoing care and maintenance following its restructuring and subsequent lay-off of workers some four years ago.

Nana Bekoe said the fund which was established in 2012 was to make beneficial investment in social and economic development in the communities in which the mines operated.

The Municipal GES Director, Mr Amoako, said plans were afoot by the assembly to add a six-classroom primary school block to the pre-school.

The Chief of the town, Nana Peprah Abu-Bonsrah, appealed to the Member of Parliament (MP) for Obuasi, Mr Kwaku Kwarteng, to honour his word by building a junior high school for the community.