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Government begins distribution of free exercise
books to pupils in basic schools
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghana
Government of Ghana is putting more smiles on the
faces of parents and guidiances of pupils in the
country.
To this end, the government is distributing free
exercise books to pupils in all public basic schools
throughout the country.
The distribution is in fulfillment of the National
Democratic Congress (NDC) campaign promise in 2008.
It aimed at retaining the current school enrolment
and also bring on board a number of school going
children who are currently out of school because
their parents cannot afford exercise books for them.
Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education,
kick-started the distribution of the books at
Ayikuma Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Basic School,
near Dodowa in the Dangme West District of the
Greater Accra Region. He said government had
procured a total of 42,650,000 exercise books at a
cost of GHc 29,622,500 for onward distribution to
pupils in this academic year.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo was accompanied by Mrs Elizabeth
Amoah-Tetteh, Deputy Minster of Education in-charge
of Pre-tertiary Education, Mr. Samuel Bannerman-Mensah,
Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES),
Directors of Departments at GES Headquarters, the
District Chief Executive and Members of Parliament
for Sege and Shai Osudoku Constituencies. The
Minister said out of the figure, 23,750,000 were
note one exercise books, 1,500,000 graph books,
1,500,000 technical drawing books, 2,400,000 primary
one Mathematics books, 2,100,000 primary one writing
books and 2,100,000 primary one language books.
The rest were 3,600,000 primary two and three
Mathematics books, 3,600,000 primary two and three
writing books and 2,100,000 primary two language
books.
Mr. Tetteh-Enyo said each student at the Junior High
School (JHS) level was entitled to 15 copies of the
books, 10 copies for those at the upper primary
level and seven copies for those at the lower
primary level. The 80-page exercise book whose
covers were designed in the national colours has its
front and back covers embossed with a portrait of
Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's First President
and his biography. Mr. Tettey-Enyo said government
recognized basic education as the fundamental
building block of the country.
He said that a participatory, literate citizenry was
the foundation for democratic processes, economic
growth and social well-being of a nation's
population.
Mr. Tetteh-Enyo said the central goal of the
country's education system was to ensure that all
citizens were equipped with the fundamental
knowledge and skills that would enable them to be
full stakeholders and beneficiaries of development,
adding "the gesture is to make education affordable
and accessible to all".
He explained that government's promise to provide
free school uniforms to pupils in deprived
communities was on course, and had also planned to
expand the School Feeding Programme (SFP) during the
2009/2010 academic year.
"It is government's belief that with the
introduction of the free exercise books, parents
will be relieved and savings accrued will be used to
support the other needs of the children to
complement government's efforts in promoting quality
education," he said.
Mr. Tetteh-Enyo said government had observed that
the introduction of the Capitation Grant and the SFP
were laudable programmes and had been adopted and
improved upon even increased the grant per child per
year from GHc3.00 to GHc 4.50 covering 5,372,684
pupils at the basic schools. He called on the pupils
to take good care of the exercise books and use them
for the purposes for which they were supplied.
Mr. Bannerman-Mensah, lauded the exercise saying it
would further increase enrolment at the basic school
level.
Ms Elizabeth Ampofo, Headmistress of Ayikuma Saint
Peter's Roman Catholic Basic School, described the
exercise as a "befitting Christmas gift" to the
pupils.
In a related development, Mr Tettey-Enyo and his
entourage went to Kordiabe Roman Catholic Basic
School, Doryumu District Assembly Basic School and
Doryumu Methodist Basic School all in the Dangme
West District to distribute some exercise books to
the pupils.
Ghanadot
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