Hon Alexander Gabby Hottordze, Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Tongu in the Volta Region has taken bold steps to improve quality education in Central Tongu donating school furniture worth thousands of Ghana cedis to some selected school in the district.
According to him, though standard of education remained relatively good, much resources was needed to push up the basic and the second cycle institution to boost performance of students and teachers to give up their best.
[ads1]Hon Hottordze revealed this when he donated 100 piece of mono desk furniture, a Pick-Up vehicle and an electronic staff attendant recording devices to the Mafi-Kumase Senior High School to ease problems associated with the Free SHS programme.
He has reiterated his commitment to channel greater resources to improve quality of education in the constituency as he is set to do a similar donation at Adidome Senior High school to enable first-year students to enjoy the Free SHS policy to have sound education.
The schools have been bedevilled with the challenge of lack of desk and teaching materials as a result of an exponential increase in enrolment following the free policy introduced by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Hon Hottordze stated that the pick-up vehicle is to support in the day-to-day administrative activities of the school, while the electronic figure print recording data devices which are fixed at offices door post would help in checking teaching and non teaching staff attendants and punctuality.
Speaking to the media, the lawmaker said Mafi-Kumase and Adidome Senior High Schools which used to admit about 300-400 students now have over 1000 students which he noted has undoubtedly over stretched the capacity of the schools leading to congestion.
The donation of the mono desks to the second cycle schools, Mr Hottordze said was in line with his vision to bring some form of relief to education institution in the constituency.
“It is my pleasure to change the narrative. I want to see students and teachers feel better and the teaching and learning environment remained in conducive in the constituency,” he stated.
In his view, government alone could not solve challenges in the educational sector and that, all stakeholders should come on board to bring hope to children who are often described as future leaders.
In expressing his gratitude to the people for reposing confidence in him and giving him the opportunity to represent them in Parliament, the MP reiterated his commitment to ensuring that development is bought at the door step of the people with an emphasis on education and youth development.
In addition, he said it was also his commitment to ensuring that every child had opportunity to quality education to help the area rid off poverty as education remained the backbone of development.
For that reason, Mr Hottordze said he is providing street lights to the various schools, both basic and second cycle institution to lighting the vicinities and provide security, adding that his office is also disbursing about GHC8,000 for fuel to circuit supervisors of education in the constituency.
Again, the MP said he is also supporting some of the communities with tipper trucks of chips and stones for construction of 4-unit class room block spear headed by a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) known as Pencil of Promises, while the residents provide sand and communal labour for the structures.
He told the paper that, education remained the backbone of every developed nation and that the effort is to ensure that children in the Central Tongu constituency improve upon their academic performance.
While urging parents and guardians to take their wards education seriously and provide them with the basic needs, Mr Hottordze also admonished students in the various schools to eschew truancy and laxity but strive to read their books so they could excel in their education.
The students, he said are the nation’s future leaders hence they must not fail their parents, adding that each of them have the chance of succeeding him as MP in parliament should they study hard and excel in their education.
He also advised students and pupil in the constituency to be self discipline and restrain themselves from anti-social activities that could derail their brighter future.
Mr Courage Meteku, Headmaster for Mafi-Kumase senior high school who received the mono desk and the pick up on behalf of the school, thanked the MP for the gesture and assured him that he would ensure the resources are used for the benefit of the students and the school as a whole.