Jirapa MP, MCE hand over education, health and sanitation projects

The Member of Parliament for Jirapa, Cletus Seidu Dapilah, and the Municipal Chief Executive, Peter N. N. Toang, have officially presented various education, healthcare and sanitation projects to communities within the municipality. These initiatives encompass a recently built Junior High School block, a Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound, a public restroom and the distribution of educational furniture to primary institutions.

The comprehensive event commenced at the Jirapa Municipal Assembly where 970 pieces of furniture, including dual desks, mono desks and hexagonal tables, were handed over to the Ghana Education Service (GES). Mr. Dapilah vowed that an additional 2,000 desks are anticipated to be delivered the following week to alleviate the furniture shortage across schools in the municipality.

He emphasized the importance of proper maintenance to ensure the longevity of the furniture, stating, "There is no need in this modern era where pupils will go to school and be lying on the floor to write or read." The Ghana Education Service's Municipal Director, Hudu Kunaateh, expressed gratitude for the timely intervention, citing the substandard conditions in several schools.

She highlighted the distressing sight of children crawling on their bellies, likening them to pythons. The delegation proceeded to Konkuo, where they inaugurated a three-unit classroom block for St Augustine Junior High School. Funded by the District Assemblies Common Fund, this project cost over GH¢1 million. The implementation was carried out by Michumu Company Limited and completed within the six-month timeframe.

The Municipal Works Department's Head, Halitu Yussif, confirmed that the outdated and deteriorating classroom block would be renovated and transformed into a primary school. This development would provide St Augustine JHS with a direct feeder school, ultimately enhancing academic performance. Naa Dinaa Donglabong Ganaa III, the Jirapa Paramount Chief and a former student of the school, urged residents to make available land for development projects during the ceremony.

He criticized families who, he claimed, hold onto land unwillingly, hindering community progress. "When we are greedy or stingy with land, not wanting to release lands for development projects, then who are we hurting?" he questioned. Additionally, Mr. Dapilah announced a logistics package for over 1,200 first-year Senior High School students in the constituency, which includes mattresses, trunks, buckets and educational materials to support their transition into secondary education.