Mantukwa gets fully furnished 6-unit classroom block

Two Hamburg-based foundations, Block and Peter Kraemer, have jointly inaugurated a €140,000 six-unit classroom block for the Incarnate Word Preparatory School at Mantukwa, a farming community in the Sunyani West Municipality in the Bono Region.

The fully furnished facility, which was constructed by Madamfo Ghana Construction Company in 13 months, has ancillary facilities such as a computer lab, library and staff common room.

It also has a head teacher’s office, a store, modern separate sanitary facilities and mechanised borehole to supply water.

No school

At the inauguration on Wednesday, the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference (GCBC), Most Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, said the church acquired the land to build a school for the community because of lack of access.

The six-unit classroom block

He said because there was no school in the area, many children were out of school, which threatened their brighter future.

Most Rev. Gyamfi, who is also Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sunyani, said the few students who risked going to school had to walk several kilometres through bushes to the nearest schools.

He said the sorry fate of the children compelled him to convert the uncompleted priest’s house into a classroom block for the pupils, while searching for benefactors to come to their aid.

Most Rev. Gyamfi said pupils who were crammed in the priest’s house would move into the spacious classrooms and their accessories designed for the comfort of the children.

He said the provision of the school block had made schooling fun and enjoyable for the children in the community and beyond.

Quality education

Most Rev. Gyamfi said the school was well structured to provide quality integral education for the children.

He thanked the foundations for accepting to undertake the school project for the less privileged in their locality.

"Thank you for giving hope to people who otherwise had no light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

Most Rev. Gyamfi, however, appealed to them to support the church in constructing additional six classrooms to make the school complete.

Progress of pupils

The Chairman of the Peter Kraemer Foundation, Christian Kraemer, said the foundations partnered to provide the facility to enhance the progress of the pupils and the community.

He said education was key to a better future, since it empowered children to achieve their dreams of becoming leaders and innovators.

"That is why we are so proud to be part of this meaningful project.

The school is not just a building of bricks and cement, it is a space filled with hope and promise," Mr Kraemer said.

He thanked the community for the support during the construction of the project and urged the teachers to continue to build good character in the pupils.

The Chairman and Ambassador of Block Foundation, Philipp Block, said after reviewing the barriers obstructing education in the community, they decided to construct a decent facility to offer the pupils a good learning environment.

He said the facility would create a good opportunity for the pupils to achieve their goals and advised them to make good use of the facility and the opportunities the school would offer them.

Mr Block said the establishment of the school would have a positive impact on the community and commended the Madamfo Ghana Construction Company for the excellent work.

Religious values

The Headmistress of the school, Sister Janet Ayine, said the school was established to provide holistic education for learners grounded in the religious values of the Catholic Church.

She said the new facility would provide the learners a safe, conducive and inspiring learning environment.

"As an institution, we place paramount importance on the future of our learners and our nation, diligently instilling in them sound moral values and guiding them firmly on the path to academic excellence," she said.

Sister Ayine was optimistic that the facility would serve as a vital space for the learners to flourish, explore their full potential, and develop into confident, capable and well-behaved individuals in the future.

Writer's email: biiya.ali@graphic.com.gh