MTN-GHANA CONSTRUCTS SIX-UNIT CLASSROOM BLOCK IN TAMALE

In its attempt to complement government’s efforts to ensure quality and efficient delivery of education in the Northern Region of Ghana, mobile telecommunication giant, MTN, has cut-sod for the construction of a six-unit classroom block with office and store at Zujung, a peri-urban community in the Tamale Metropolis.

The project to be executed by Haminsco Construction Company at a total cost of GH¢155,000.00, was also intended to create a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning, and encourage enrolment after completion of work.

According to Mr. Kingsley Young, Northern Zonal Manager of MTN-Ghana who delivered a speech on behalf of the Board Members of MTN Ghana Foundation (established to handle corporate social responsibility programs of the mobile telecom company), MTN was proud to partner with the Ghana Education Service to achieve two of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He explained that, MDGs two (2) and eight (8) sought to “Achieve universal primary education” and “Developing a global partnership for development,” respectively by the year 2015.

Mr. Young disclosed that, the Foundation has since its inception few years ago, rolled out 21 education projects and 12 health projects across the country at the tune of GH¢ 4,345,438.00.

Projects which include improving the literacy and numeracy in five (5) schools in Tamale, construction of KVIP, streetlights, and presentation of sporting equipment to Tamale Senior High School, 20 sitter ICT centre with a full office set-up for the Tolon community and the construction of a six-unit classroom with office and store, all in the Northern Region sum up to a total cost of GH¢437,472.30, he added.

In a related development, the MTN-Ghana Foundation in collaboration with its project partner AED-Ghana CEDEM, has distributed 1,630 school bags containing pens, pencils, erasers, exercise books and crayons to pupils of five basic schools in the Tamale Metropolis at a brief ceremony dubbed “Yellow Pack Distribution Festival.”

The beneficiary schools include Choggu Demonstration Primary School ‘A’, Shishiegu AME Zion Primary School, St Gabriel R/C Primary School ‘A’, Tiyumba D/A Primary School ‘A’ and Vittin Ansuariya Islamic Primary School.

The donation was part of MTN-Ghana’s literature and numeracy project which involves a total sum of GH¢112,500.00 out of which GH¢15,000.00 was used to purchase the school bags from the Republic of China.

The Northern Zonal Manager of MTN Ghana, appealed to the schools to continue to show commitment to the programme to ensure the achievement of better results.

Northern Region is seen by all as the nation’s food basket but it is also one of the poorest regions in Ghana. Available statistics points to the fact that, 7 out every 10 people representing 70% of the population in the region are considered to be very poor, and this is having a serious effect on education.

Statistics from the Ghana Education Service also showed that, in the 2009 and 2010 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the Tamale Metropolis clogged the 89^th and 103^rd positions in terms of rankings among all 170 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) nationwide.

Thus, the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, San Nasamu Asabigi in a speech commended MTN-Ghana for their efforts to bridge the poverty gap between the North and South through formal education.