John Kumah with his mates cutting the tape to commission the toilet facility
The Deputy Minister of Finance, also Member of Parliament for Ejisu, John Ampontuah Kumah, has commissioned an ultra-modern 35-seater biodigester toilet and 10 shower bathrooms for students of the Opoku Ware School, at Santasi in the Ashanti Region.
The facilities form part of the MP’s contribution to the development of his alma mater and are also aimed at improving sanitary conditions in the school primarily for the students.
At the commissioning, he said, “As a former School Prefect of the school, it felt good to be back. I was accompanied by some members of the 1996/1997 year group, and many other seniors of the Alumni groups”.
He said it is as a result of a publication made in 2019 about the lack of toilet facilities in the school that prompted his year group to intervene and is happy the school now has the best toilet facility in the country.
At a short ceremony, he said, “The facilities in the school will be renovated for us and I’m happy to disclose that every facility or infrastructure here has already been awarded to a contractor and we’ve started all the renovation. The President, Nana Akufo-Addo is also backing us and we thank him for that support”.
According to him, his year group has taken it upon themselves to do proper landscaping of the school to beautify the campus.
“We are doing all this to encourage you especially the students. We know you will do better than us and we doing this as a challenge to you and we believed that when your time comes you are going to rebuild the school better than us”
“So we are just encouraging you but if you can do that it is the discipline, the values, and integrity. If people say Opare Ware is the best school in the country, it is not the facilities or the buildings we have but it is the culture of discipline that we have on this campus. So I am encouraging you, keep to the discipline, stay focus on your books and make sure you take on the responsibility” he said.
Mr. Kumah said, he and his team will by next week present a new ultra-modern ICT center to the school for approval and are hoping to commission the facility before the school’s anniversary in November 2022.
Stephen Owusu Sekyere, the headmaster of Opoku Ware SHS expressed gratitude to the Member of Parliament and his group for the tremendous love shown for their alma mater.
According to him, his findings proved ‘Okatakyie’ has been supported by the school because of the discipline instilled in them, and is therefore not surprising they are giving back to their alma mater to promote holistic education by putting a 35-seater ultra-modern toilet for the school.
“We thank you for your good and generous heart. I believe this project has come at the right time to improve the sanitation situation in the school.”
He has therefore called on the others to emulate Mr. Kumah by giving back to the school.
BY Daniel Bampoe