The Communities of Excellence Programme has been lauded for inculcating communal spirit amongst local people to initiate their own development projects.
Madam Leticia Akumkaseh, Queen Mother of Longsa in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region said due to the implementation of the Communities of Excellence Programme, some residents of the area, who thought that it was sole responsibility of government to meet their children’s educational needs, were now more involved in meeting their children’s educational needs.
She added that the community members contributed funds as well as sought external support to construct a primary school in the area to ensure that their children did not walk long distances to access education in other communities.
She was speaking when a team from UNICEF visited the area to assess the impact of the Communities of Excellence Programme.
The UNICEF and partners with funding support from Jacobs Foundation, a Zurich-based philanthropic organisation, implemented the Com
munities of Excellence Programme in the Municipality to encourage communities to actively participate in bridging the development gap in their areas by owning their development projects.
UNICEF, as part of the Programme, provided training for stakeholders in the communities to enable them to complement the efforts of government and NGOs in initiating development interventions in their areas.
The Programme, which began in 2022 and will end next month, is being implemented in the Kwahu Afram Plains North Municipality of the Eastern Region and the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region. Mr. Joseph Ateng, Headteacher, Longsa Primary School, said the Programme contributed to increased enrollment and improved academic performance in the area.
The community also initiated the construction of a health facility to provide quality health care services, especially for children in the area.
Mr. Justus Triumph Atayaaba, Assembly Member for the Wiaga-Longsa Electoral Area in the Builsa North Municipality ex
pressed gratitude to UNICEF and partners for the Programme.
The Programme in the Municipality also witnessed the support of the 1976 Year Group of Ayieta Primary School, who helped in renovating the school.
Madam Gifty Abakisi, Headteacher, Ayieta Primary School, said as part of the training under the Programme, the school was working to start a dry season school garden with support from the residents to complement government’s efforts in providing nutritious food for the pupils.
Mr. Kennedy Afagachie, Builsa North Focal Person for the Communities of Excellence Programme, said prior to the implementation of the Programme, there was low sense of community ownership of schools, and low parental support for re-entry of teenage mothers to school.
He added that most parents were also not critical about the nutritional needs of their children coupled with insufficient Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities.
He said the Programme engaged about 14,571 pupils comprising 2,609 in kindergarten; 6,313 in Pr
imary and 5,649 in Junior High School.
He said about 175 School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) with an estimated membership of 12,743 were activated.
Mr. Afagachie said enrollment in the Municipality at kindergarten level increased from 70.8 per cent in 2022 to 77.8% in 2023, at the primary school level, it increased from 68% in 2022 to 83.3% in 2023 whilst the Junior High School level it rose from 22.2% in 2022 to 45.4% in 2023.
He said the Programme also contributed to improving the WASH sector including the renovation and construction of new facilities by the SMCs and PTAs.
Madam Gloria Tisong Dakpallah, Education Officer at UNICEF, was happy at the impact of the Programme on the residents, saying communities’ active involvement and ownership of development initiatives were crucial for their sustainability.
She said the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Programme had extended the Programme to about 100 districts and would now be renamed the District Excelle
nce Programme.
Source: Ghana News Agency