Accra, Nov. 14, GNA – The Management of the New Coco Beach Resort on Friday gave more than 50 million cedis educational assistance to schools in the Nungua Traditional Area.
The package includes a scholarship scheme and the distribution of textbooks, learning materials and school uniforms to 60 pupils for the 2003 and 2004 academic year.
The company would also provide a Computer Training Centre to expose school children in the community to innovations in Information Communication Technology (ICT), Mr Seth Adjei-Baah, Chief Executive Officer, announced these at a presentation ceremony in Accra. He said the package was to enable needy pupils in the catchment area of the Resort to attain a very good educational foundation for their future. Mr Adjei-Baah said; “the contribution is our social responsibility towards the community and to also curb school drop out due to poverty”. He said it was also to encourage parents, teachers and pupils to pursue the highest degree of education.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, Mr Adjei-Baah deployed social exploitation of children saying characteristically, children were not to be involved in any work that was harmful and detrimental to their full and holistic development.
Any work that by nature and intensity was harmful to their health and welfare, or that sought to remove them from school or interfered with their schooling was bad and must be stopped.
He noted that in recent times some parents were exploiting children by engaging them in activities that took them away from school. In an address read behalf of Ms Christine Churcher, Minister for State, for Basic, Secondary and Girl Child, she emphasised community participation in education to increase access and the development of a deep sense of local ownership and commitment towards schools.
“The education of the child starts in the home community and continues in the schools… it is for this reason that parents, communities and schools must team up for effective education of the Child,” she said. Ms Churcher also deplored the attitude of some parents, who spent their resources on expensive clothes for funerals and other social occasions at the expense of the education of their children. She described it as a misplaced priority and advised parents to invest money and time in the education of their children.
The Minister commended the Management and Staff of the Resort for their sense of social responsibility and urged other organizations and institutions to contribute to the development of their catchment areas.
Source: GhanaWeb
