ISODEC donates to the poor and needy students

The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), through the Ambassador Girls Scholarship Programme (AGSP) has donated food and learning aids to 400 poor and needy students in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region. The school items valued at the cost of 110,000 Ghana Cedis include school uniforms, foot wares, English, Mathematics and Science text books, exercise books, pens, pencils, mathematical sets and maxi bag of maize among others. At a ceremony held at Bongo, a policy analyst and the Regional Manager of ISODEC, Jonathan Adabere Atia disclosed to Radio Ghana that the presentation of the items forms part of measures aimed at improving the quality of education in deprived communities of the region and the country as a whole. The Ambassador Girls Scholarship Programme he noted seeks to improve retention and transition of girls who for the reason of poverty and lack of support have drop out of school to help in farming among other household activities. The programme further seeks to address the financial and material barriers to girl’s education. Mr. Adabere Atia noted the programme since its inception 7 years ago, now provides educational assistance to both boys and girls, and explained that his outfit realizing the educational difficulties some boys goes through, thought it imperative to provide them with such an equal opportunity to keep them in school. He mentioned lack of information and confidence as some of the major challenges affecting students in the region. This, he emphasized, contributes to student’s failure to complete their education particularly the girls. On the way forward, Mr. Adabere Atia disclosed that scholars are given mentoring by some selected trained teachers to educate them on the need to take their studies seriously no matter the circumstance. Parents on the other hand are sensitized on the urgent need to provide their wards with the necessary educational materials to enhance academic performance and also avoid school drop out. He expressed the programme’s determination to extend the gesture to other deprived areas of the region and beyond. He said the programme has so far assisted poor and needy students in the Garu-Tempane and Bawku Municipality of the region. Steps, he added, are being taken to storm the West Mamprusi area of Northern Region to provide poor and needy students with such educational materials. He therefore mentioned resource constraint as a major challenge saddling the programme and expressed the hope that stakeholders in the educational sector will assist in that regard. The Bongo District Chief Executive, Akugre Tia urged parents to make the education of their wards their major priority since it is the panacea for accelerated development and the greatest asset they can bequeath their wards. Some of the beneficiaries, Atum Jennifer and Akola Gilbert later in an interview, expressed their profound gratitude to ISODEC an the sponsors of the AGSP for bringing smiles on their faces at a time when they lost all hope was lost with regards to their education. They however prayed for continues assistance since their parents are handicapped in terms of finances.

GBC END IA/