The people of Manso Subinso – Besease in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region have inaugurated a new basic school which was funded and constructed by the community to bring education closer to children in the area.
The school, named after the Subinso Chief, Nana Boakye Yiadom I, is called Nana Boakye Yiadom I Basic School.
The inauguration ceremony brought together several dignitaries, including Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II, Otumfuo Brempong and his entourage, a representative of the Amansie South District Chief Executive (DCE), a representative of the Education Directorate, security personnel, teachers, students, community members and other guests.
Speaking at the ceremony, Nana Boakye Yiadom I expressed his gratitude to Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II for supporting the idea of building the school.
He said when the proposal was presented to the chief, he gave them permission to go ahead with the project and supported their efforts.
“I am very grateful to my chief, Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II, for giving us the go-ahead when we proposed to build the school. Nana supported us to go ahead with the project,” he said.
Nana Boakye Yiadom I explained that the project was completed within about six months because the community wanted to quickly address the difficulties children faced in accessing education.
According to him, children in Subinso Besease and surrounding areas had to walk several miles to school, while some children were unable to attend school at all because of the long distance.
He said the situation made the community come together to find a solution by building a school closer to the children.
“The whole project started about six months ago because our wards were walking miles to go to school. Some were not even attending school because of the long distance, and that is why we decided to speed up things,” Nana Boakye Yiadom I said.
He disclosed that the school currently has classes up to Class Six and that the community has also started the Junior High School (JHS).
Nana Boakye Yiadom I therefore appealed to philanthropists and other well-meaning individuals within and outside Subinso Besease to support the community to complete and improve the school.
“Now we have up to Class Six and we have started the JHS. We are appealing to philanthropists within and outside Subinso Besease to come and support us to continue the project,” he added.
Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II Supports Development
Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II, Otumfuo Brempong, also assured residents of his willingness to support development projects within his traditional jurisdiction.
He said he was ready to support individuals and communities whose initiatives would bring development to Domi Keniago and its surrounding areas.
“I am willing to support each and everyone who will bring development to my jurisdiction under my reigns and help develop Domi Keniago and its environs,” Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II said.
He recalled the challenges children in the area used to face when there was only one school around the Subinso-Adubiaso junction.
According to him, children had to walk long distances to access education, creating a serious burden for them and their families.
“I remember when our area was having only one school at the Subinso-Adubiaso junction. The miles you would take before you reached there was something else altogether,” he said.
Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II said communities have now started taking responsibility for their educational needs by soliciting funds and constructing schools to reduce the distance children have to travel.
He commended the communities for supporting the government in providing educational infrastructure.
Chief Offers Land for Teacher Training Institution
Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II further disclosed that there is land in the area which is currently not being used and has been reserved for educational purposes.
He said the area does not have a teacher training college, nursing training institution or university, while the Amansie South District continues to face a shortage of teachers.
He therefore expressed his readiness to provide the land if the government decides to establish a teacher training institution in the area.
“The land is there doing nothing, and it is there for educational purposes. Since there is no training college, nursing training or university here, if the government builds a teacher training institution for us, I am ready to give out the land,” he said.
He explained that such an institution would help train more teachers for the district and ensure that communities have enough trained teachers to educate their children.
The Headmistress of Nana Boakye Yiadom I Basic School, Mrs Philomena Babatwepe, also expressed her gratitude to the people of Subinso Besease for coming together to provide the school.
She said the community’s contribution had created an important opportunity for children in the area to access education closer to their homes.
“I am very grateful to the Subinso Besease community for this kind gesture and for contributing to build the school,” Mrs Babatwepe said.
She assured the community that the teachers would work hard to give the pupils quality education.
“We, as teachers, will do our very best and teach the children well for them to excel,” she added.
Parents Appeal for Teachers’ Quarters
In an interview, some parents and members of the school committee, including Nana Borga and Baba Sadiq, said the community decided to build the school to support the government and reduce the difficulties children faced in getting access to education.
They said their immediate concern now is the lack of proper accommodation for teachers.
According to them, teachers do not have a suitable place to stay after long hours of teaching and caring for the pupils.
They therefore appealed to the government to construct teachers’ quarters for the school.
“We made up our minds to build the school to help the government and ease some of the pressure. Now, what we are crying for is teachers’ accommodation,” they said.
They explained that the lack of accommodation could make it difficult for some teachers to accept postings to the community.
They said providing decent accommodation would encourage teachers to stay in the community and concentrate on teaching the children.
Students Welcome New School
Some of the students also expressed their appreciation to their parents and community members for listening to their concerns and helping to provide the school.
They said walking long distances to school had been difficult, especially during the rainy season.
According to the students, whenever it rained, getting to school became a major challenge because of the distance they had to cover.
They said the situation sometimes affected their attendance and made learning difficult.
With the new school now located close to their homes, the students said they would be able to attend classes regularly without the challenges they previously faced.
“We thank our parents for listening to our pleas and cries. Whenever it rains, it is difficult for us to go to school because of the long distance,” some of the students said.
They promised to take advantage of the new school and study hard to make the investment made by their parents and the community worthwhile.
“Now that the school is right behind our noses, we will attend school every single day and learn very hard to excel. Whether it is rain or shine, we will attend class without any hindrance,” they added.
The community is therefore appealing to the government, philanthropists and other development partners to support Nana Boakye Yiadom I Basic School with teachers’ quarters and other needed facilities to improve teaching and learning in the community.
