SCHOOL BLOCK FOR BUMBOAZIO

SCHOOL BLOCK FOR BUMBOAZIO May 27, 2009
BY: Peter Atogewe Wedam, ISD – Gambaga

A new school block comprising an office, a store, a main learning hall, pavilion and places of convenience has been inaugurated at Bumboazio in the East Mamprusi district of the Northern region.


The school, christened La’angum primary was built by Partnership for Mother-tongue based Bilingual Education in Ghana, Pambe Ghana , a nongovernmental organisation at the cost of GH¢22,072.78. Pambe Ghana is registered in both the United States and in Ghana and is also on line at www.pambeghana.org.

The Executive Director of Pambe Ghana, Mrs. Alice Iddi Gubbels stated at the inauguration that a lot of factors including the community’s enthusiasm, ready land and communal labour went into choosing Bumboazio community to develop a model of mother tongue bilingual education.

Mrs. Gubbels, also a native of Mamprugu disclosed that the school which is poised to offer bilingual, child-centred and experiential learning began academic work with its first batch of 40 pupils, 18 of them being females in October, 2008.

The Executive Director revealed that it had always being her dream to return to her native Ghana to promote development in particular education. As a result, she established Pambe Ghana in 2006 with the help of her friends in the United States.

She thanked the West and East Mamprusi district assemblies and other collaborators such as the East Mamprusi community bank that donated a water tank valued at GH¢ 900.00 to the school.

She noted that it takes a whole village to educate a child and thus called on all to support Pambe Ghana’s efforts at bringing education and schools closer to children in deprived and remote areas. She particularly asked the district directorate of the Ghana Education Service to assist her outfit in developing a bilingual curriculum for the school.

The East Mamprusi district chief executive Honourable Imoro Adams who inaugurated the school remarked that education is the cornerstone of every aspect of human development. He added “without the right education, one cannot achieve the needed results in whatever area of work”.

The DCE noted that human resource development is crucial to a nation aspiring to become a middle income country. It is for this reason that the Atta Mills government has committed itself to investing in people as one of the core objectives in its manifesto. He said government will thus do everything possible to the realisation of these objectives.

Honourable Imoro pledged that government will provide the adequate infrastructure for quality education of both teachers and students. For instance, a policy is in place to provide free school uniform to pupils at the basic school level whilst the capitation grant per pupil has been increased from the previous GH¢3.00 to GH¢4.50 under the current administration.

He commended Pambe Ghana for building the unique school in his district. He observed that many private businessmen would not venture into school projects in remote places and thus assured the NGO of his assembly’s support.

The DCE was however not happy that many well-endowed citizens from the community were not brought in to support the project.

In a speech read for him, the King of Mamprugu, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Sheriga II noted that the farmlands in his kingdom were rapidly losing their fertility and recommended education as a key to the development of the area.

The Nayiri said Pambe Ghana’s school had come at the right time for it will teach the young children to read and write in their mother tongue thereby allowing them to communicate effectively in their own language as well as in English. He called for the project to be replicated in more communities.

Mr. Peter Gubbels, a representative speaking for Miss Kathryn Carey, President of the board of directors of Pambe USA, said he was happy that their fund raising activities and donations have materialised into a school for deprived children in Ghana and said he has a satisfactory tale to tell his colleagues in America.

Mr. Gubbels said the inauguration of the school presents vital reasons for the donors back in America to continue to support Pambe Ghana.