Efforts to bridge the education gap between rural and urban communities in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region have received a boost with the commissioning of two three-unit Junior High School (JHS) blocks at Mantukwa and Atababo.
The projects, funded through the District Assemblies Common Fund and the Ellembelle District Assembly’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF), are expected to provide pupils with safer and more conducive learning environments.
For years, pupils at Mantukwa D/A JHS studied in a Church of Pentecost building due to the absence of a dedicated JHS facility.
The situation was compounded by inadequate classroom space, with Form Three pupils forced to use a classroom in the nearby primary school.
A Form Three student of the school, Aishatu Karim, said the lack of appropriate facilities had affected teaching and learning in the community.
At Atababo, pupils faced an even greater challenge, with JHS education being provided in a mud structure.
Some children also had to walk more than four kilometres to access JHS education in the nearby village.
The commissioning of the new three-unit block, fitted with toilet facilities, is expected to significantly change the situation.
A similar three-unit JHS block has been commissioned at Mantukwa.
The Ellembelle Member of Parliament and Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said the projects were part of efforts to improve access to quality education and reduce inequalities between rural and urban communities.
He said bringing JHS education closer to children in communities such as Atababo would give them a better opportunity to compete with their counterparts in urban areas.
“For communities like Atababo, where children have been walking for more than four kilometres before they get to JHS, this is complete transformation. This is resetting Ghana and levelling the playing field for children in rural areas to close that inequality gap in education.”
Mr Buah said the investment in educational infrastructure would also create opportunities for children from rural communities to pursue higher education.
“It will translate into children in these villages competing meaningfully with children in the cities. So when you go to the universities, you’re not only going to see the privileged few there; you’ll see Atababo children also in the university.”
According to the MP, more than seven classroom blocks and three Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds have been delivered in the district within the first year, as part of efforts to improve critical infrastructure.
The District Chief Executive for Ellembelle, Joseph Agyekum, described education as a shared responsibility and urged residents to take ownership of the newly constructed facilities.
“As a government, we’ve done our part. We’ve handed over the school to the community, so the responsibility of maintenance now lies on the community to make sure they maintain the school that we’ve just given to them.”
The DCE said the Assembly had constructed 12 schools in less than two years, with several others at various stages of completion.
He explained that the Mantukwa JHS block was funded through the District Assemblies Common Fund, while the Atababo project was financed with the assembly’s internally generated funds.
For residents and pupils, the projects represent more than new buildings.
They mean an end to learning in a church building and a mud structure, shorter distances to access JHS education, and improved conditions for teaching and learning.
The new facilities are therefore expected to help create a stronger foundation for children in Mantukwa, Atababo and surrounding rural communities to pursue their education.
By Ebenezer Atiemo
