Classroom block for Anthony A.M.E. Zion Basic School
The Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN) has constructed and handed over a six-unit classroom block to the Anthony A.M.E. Zion Basic School at the Anthony Community in the Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District in the Central Region.
The school block also has a store room and an office. CRAN also presented 120 school desks to the school.
The new facility replaces an old dilapidated school block which posed danger to the lives of the 260 schoolchildren and the teachers of the school.
The school’s authorities were thus forced to use homes of philanthropists in the community as classrooms till CRAN came with its help.
The project was undertaken by CRAN-Ghana with funding from Bingo CRAN Freundeskreis, and e.V of Germany.
Terrible state
At a ceremony to inaugurate and hand over the facility to the school authorities last Thursday, the Administrator of Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN)-Ghana, Mrs Doris Agbesinyale, noted that the terrible state of the old school block encouraged CRAN to build a new school block for the community.
She said the state of the building was so bad that students could not learn in the classrooms compelling them to use houses of people in the community as classrooms.
She said constant distractions in those makeshift facilities took a toll on the progress of the academic performance of the students, adding that she was optimistic that the current conducive environment would help improve the performance of the pupils.
CRAN
According to Mrs Agbesinyale, CRAN will continue to promote education and community partnership in order to reduce poverty and to produce sustainable rural development.
She said CRAN was not there to give free gifts but rather mobilise rural communities for self-improvement, community collaboration and development activities.
CRAN is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that deals with rural development, advocacy and relief organisation dedicated to working with the rural poor, women, children, families and their communities in order to improve their living and prospective conditions.
BECE performance
The Headmaster of the Anthony A.M.E. Zion Basic School, Mr Meshach Edeme-Vondee, said the new school block would help push up the academic performance of the students, especially in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
He attributed the poor performance of students from the school in the BECE to the lack of a conducive teaching environment and lack of adequate teaching materials.
The Director of Education for the Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District, Ms Victoria Addai, advised members of the community to ensure that their children attended school regularly and took proper care of the building.