New classroom block for Owuratwum
The difficulties pupils at the Owuratwum community undergo daily, covering a distance of about five kilometres to access education is now over.
The pupils, with ages ranging between five and 10, trekked daily to communities such as Akyem Odumase, Akyem Beposo and Akyem Potroase, all in the Abuakwa South Municipality in the Eastern Region, to attend school.
The residents of Owuratwum are mainly farmers, who cultivate various crops, such as cocoa, plantain and maize, among others. They have no primary school. As such, the pupils have to undertake long journeys daily to attend school.
Partnership
It was to address this challenge that a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA), decided to put up a GHS150,000 three-unit classroom block, with an attached office, for the community.
Looking on are the officials of ACA and the community
The NGO, which operates within the Abuakwa South, Fanteakwa South and the Atiwa West districts, all in the region, put up the facility, in partnerships with the Abuakwa South Municipal Assembly, and with support from the chiefs and people of the community.
At a ceremony to hand over the new facility at Owuratwum, the Senior Community-Driven Development (CDD) Officer of the ACA, Francis Fernaldinho Manu, said the classroom block was put up at the request of the chiefs and people of the community after the NGO conducted an assessment of the needs of the people.
Community's priority
Mr Manu indicated that the people considered the new facility a priority, since it would make it possible for the kids to study in the community without walking long distances to other nearby schools daily.
He was hopeful that all the children of school-going age would be attending classes in the facility.
"The people, although they have a lot of challenges, their children walking so many kilometres to school in other nearby communities is worrisome; as such, they placed their priority on the construction of the classrooms to end the suffering of the children," Mr Manu stated.
The Assembly Member of the Odumase Electoral Area, Collins Akonnor, who was highly elated about the new school building, said that since the facility was prioritised above others, the inhabitants actively supported it to be fully realised.
He said that because education was essential to the growth and development of the community, they first prioritised the construction of the classroom block, although the community had a lot of challenges to tackle.
That, the Owuratwum Chief stated, would enable the children to have a good education to grow up to become useful citizens to help advance the needs of the community.
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