Expand distribution of free school uniforms

Page 17
18-01-10

BENEFICIARIES of the government’s free school uniforms in the Awutu Senya District of the Central Region have called for increase in distribution to cover their fellow mates who continue to wear tattered uniforms to schools.
They said while they were happy to have received the uniforms since it had also come as a big relief to their parents and guardians, their friends who did not benefit from the programme look sad and this was affecting them.
The students however lauded the government for the initiative but expressed the hope that all their brothers and sisters and friends will get the uniforms so that they do not feel left out.
The pupils made the call in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic during a visit to selected schools in the Awutu Senya District at the weekend to find out the impact of the free school uniforms on them.
Fifty pupils, made up of 25 boys and 25 girls from six schools who were selected at random, benefitted from the free school uniforms programme in the district.
They submitted that but for the free uniforms, they would have gone to school in torn uniforms, and that the free uniforms had helped to lift a burden off their parents and guardians head who were struggling to make ends meet.
They said wearing a good school uniform was key to enhancing their stay and studies in school.
The First Lady, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills, on December 30, 2009, launched the government’s policy to distribute 1.6 million free uniforms to pupils in 77 deprived districts of the country.
The programme ‘Free School Uniforms for Needy Children’ in basic schools in Ghana commenced at Kwao Larbi in the Awutu Senya District where six schools benefited from it. The schools are: the Kwao Larbi Anglican Primary School, Ahentia D/A Primary School, the Chochoe Primary School, Bontrase D/A Primary School, Akrampah Primary and the Abefor Primary School.
At the Ahentia Primary school, some of the pupils -Juliana Kwei, Emmanuel Arhin, Sophia Sakyi and Theresa Arhinful, who did not benefit from the initiative, stressed on the need for the government to make the programme cover primary schools in the selected areas.
They said the situation where a random selection of 50 pupils, comprising 25 girls and 25 boys was made should be scrapped and expanded to cover all primary pupils in the schools selected for the programme.
Psychologically, they said, wearing a torn uniform had a negative effects on them as some of them were teased or laughed at, thereby making those of them in the torn uniforms become truant.
Those who benefited from the programme at the Kwao Larbi said although the free uniforms were good, the palm branches shed under which the school was held did not provide the right atmosphere for teaching and learning.
They said the school did not have furniture, and, therefore they had to carry their own chairs and stools to sit on in order to learn.
“I am happy for the new uniform but look at our school?,” Rebecca Asare, a pupil asked, saying that work on their new school block and the provision of furniture should be expedited.
They, together with the headteacher, Mr Isaac Acheampong, called on the government to expedite action on the construction of their new school block which was still at the foundation stage.
Mr Acheampong said the current state of the school made it difficult for effective teaching and learning, adding that when it was raining or the sun was too hot they had to stop classes since the palm branches which served as roof did not provide proper cover from the sun rays or the rains.
Mr Acheampong and Mr Peter Ntim, Assistant headteacher of the Ahentia Primary School, as well as pupils underscored the need for the School Feeding Programme to be extended to their schools.
They said some of the pupils, went to school without food as their parents or guardians did not have enough to provide for them.
Mr Ntim, for his part said, apart from parents and guardians being poor peasant farmers, others were single mothers and fathers, and that the criteria for selection of beneficiaries was based on those.
He said pupils came from nearby communities such as Kemor, Loye, Busumabena, Oshimpo and Small London, among other places and they needed to be encouraged to attract more of their colleagues who spent time on the farm.
A Class Three teacher at the Chochoe Primary School, said some of the uniforms for the girls, especially the jumpers were too short, compelling the pupils having such uniforms to convert them to skirts.
She said some of the beneficiaries had given the uniforms they were given to either their younger and elder siblings because their uniforms were either too large or small, and called for the proper sizes of uniforms to be distributed.
Meanwhile, the beneficiaries of the free uniforms have pledged to be regular in school since the free uniform was a morale booster.
Alex Tetteh, one of such pupils who walked three kilometres to school everyday, said although he was regular in school, he would try to be punctual every school day.
The government has committed GH¢21 million into providing free school uniforms for basic schoolchildren, with the first consignment of 1.6 million uniforms for children in 77 deprived districts.
About 300 schoolchildren from the six basic schools in the Awutu Senya district benefited from the programme. The distribution of the uniforms is in fulfilment of the government’s campaign promise to provide free school uniforms for pupils in deprived communities.