Pupils of Duose Basic School no more having ‘class under trees’

Pupils of Duose Basic School in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region have been relieved.

They no more have teaching and learning under trees thanks to Fidelity Bank’s Orange Impact Initiative.

The Fidelity Bank Ghana has constructed and handed over a fully furnished six-unit classroom block to Duose community.

Under its Orange Impact Initiative to mark the bank’s 15th anniversary, the Fidelity Bank earmarked 15 schools, including the Duose D/A Basic School, to benefit from customized facility and resource upgrades as part of its efforts to provide quality education infrastructure to deprived communities.

The newly-constructed six-unit classroom block, including office space, was installed with solar-powered electricity to enhance the teaching and learning of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the school.

The classroom block would now house pupils of Basic One to Basic Six who, hitherto, received academic instructions under shades and trees.

The Headmaster of Duose D/A Basic School, Mr Abubakari Mubarik expressed optimism that the intervention would help improve teaching and teaching in the community and also enhance the academic performance of the pupils.

He said the intervention was timely to salvage them from always closing school early due to bad weather conditions, during rainy seasons.

“Sometimes, the community members would even come and tell us that they see most of our teachers outside, [but, it is] because we don’t have classrooms, we have our classes under mango trees.

“When they come we explain to them, but they don’t always take it lightly on us, because they feel that we are not doing our work well,” he said.

He noted that confrontation between teachers and parents will end as they now have conducive classroom environments to carry out their teaching and learning activities.

Speaking at the ceremony to hand over the facility, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Mr Julian Kingsley Opuni, said education was the foundation block in building productive nations.

He added that Fidelity Bank aimed to improve access to formal education through the provision of infrastructure.

“As a bank, we are an integral part of the ecosystem that drives development. The challenges of the community in which you operate should be reflected in the way you operate. If the community develops, the bank develops,” he explained.

He urged the community members to ensure the maintenance of the facility to last long and benefit many children in terms of access to quality education.

The Wa West District Chief Executive (DCE), Madam Vida Diorotey expressed appreciation to the Management of Fidelity Bank for the timely completion of the school infrastructure to complement government’s efforts.

She said the Wa West District was grappling with infrastructural challenges and commended the bank for the intervention while she called on other organizations to support the district with more infrastructure.

The intervention, which forms part of the bank’s social corporate responsibility (CSR), also saw the renovation of the Kindergarten (KG) block in the community.

Present at the ceremony included the Wa West District Director of Education, the Upper West Regional Commander, the chief of the community and others.