Picture –Simon Osei Mensah (with the book) flanked by Prof. Peter Twumasi (L) rep of the Sports Ministry
A copy of the Director General of the National Sports Authority’s (NSA) book – ‘Rising From The Farmhouse’ – has sold for GH¢50,000 at a special launch in Kumasi.
The first copy of Prof. Peter Twumasi’s debut memoir was bought by President Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Dr. Muhammudu Bawumia.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, who launched the book, bought it on behalf of the President and his Vice as well as the Regional Coordinating Council.
The Youth & Sports Ministry bought the second copy for GH¢10,000 to honour Prof. Peter Twumasi for bringing transformation into the sporting arena.
‘Rising From The Farmhouse’, Prof. Peter Twumasi’s account of life in farming communities, is a 220-page autobiography which explores events of his parents’ early years in Kumasi from the Abroye farming community, where he grew up living in a farmhouse.
The book, which places emphasis on the adventures and frustrations of parents in rural communities in meeting the cost of their children’s education, applauds policies meant to provide unrestricted access to education and health services at all levels irrespective of one parents’ ability to pay.
Speaking at the launching of the book, Prof. Twumasi praised President Akufo-Addo for the implementation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) education programme.
According to him, the Free SHS policy underscores the President’s belief in the dreams and aspirations of the rural folks, many of whom could not visualise having secondary education because of poverty.
Prof. Twumasi said there would have been more professors in the country if Free SHS existed in his time, adding that the book is expected to serve as a literature for the study of rural sociology and illuminate major developmental constraints that must be considered at any level of rural developmental policy formulation and implementation.
Mr. Osei Mensah, who felt related to the storyline, called for support to the Free SHS, which he said has come to liberate children from poor families who cannot afford secondary education.
He lauded Prof. Twumasi for the book, and said it has come at the opportune time to let anti-Free SHS campaigners know the importance of the policy.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi