The Tema West Municipal Assembly has rolled out a Back to School initiative aimed at supporting schoolchildren and easing the financial burden on parents as schools reopen.
The initiative, led by Municipal Chief Executive Ludwig Tey Totimeh, in collaboration with the Tema West Education Directorate and Member of Parliament James Enu, involved visits to schools across the municipality to welcome pupils and provide them with essential learning materials.
The materials, including pencils, crayons, erasers and other teaching and learning items, were distributed particularly to children at the kindergarten and lower primary levels. The MCE said the intervention is intended to support parents who struggle to provide basic school supplies for their children.
According to Mr Totimeh, all schools in the Tema West Municipality benefited from the initiative, including schools in Baatsona, Lashibi, Klagon, Sakumono, Kotobabi and other communities. Beneficiary schools include Aggrey Road Basic School, Mexico Basic School, Baatsona Basic School, Don Bosco and Salvation Army schools.
Mr Totimeh said the Assembly would continue to invest in education through the provision of school desks, fencing and infrastructure. He disclosed that the previously abandoned Lashibi Government School project, which had been stalled since 2016, has resumed and is currently about 85 percent complete.
He said the project is expected to be completed and handed over to the school by the end of the year. He added that the Assembly is also fencing schools where encroachment and intrusion have become concerns, to protect school lands and provide a safer environment for teaching and learning.
Beyond academic development, the MCE said the Assembly would pay greater attention to identifying and nurturing talents among children from an early age. He explained that developing children’s abilities alongside formal education would help them build skills that could benefit them in the future.
As part of efforts to encourage academic and innovative excellence, the Assembly presented cash awards to students who represented Tema West in the Greater Accra STEM Challenge and emerged winners. Mr Totimeh said the gesture was intended to motivate the students to maintain their performance and inspire others to pursue excellence.
He acknowledged that although the Assembly had made progress in the education sector, more remained to be done. He therefore called for continued collaboration to improve educational infrastructure and opportunities for children in the municipality.
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament James Enu urged schoolchildren to stay away from drugs, warning that drug abuse could damage their health and jeopardise their future. He encouraged them to remain focused on their studies and develop good habits, saying discipline and hard work would help them build a brighter future.
The MCE also urged residents to continue supporting the government’s efforts to improve education and called on them to remember President John Dramani Mahama in their prayers, citing the government’s investment in the education sector.
Story by Freedom Etsey Lavoe