The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has donated educational materials to five schools in Yendi, Northern Region.
The donation forms part of its “Back To School Campaign” which is a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.
The items include different categories of books; dictionaries; packets of pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, markers and highlighters; board markers; mathematical sets; calculators; school bags; school uniforms; pockets of sanitary pads and sports kits. In addition to these items, the Ministry has donated undisclosed sums of money to each of the five selected schools to enable them take care of their minor expenditures.
The five beneficiary schools are: the Dagbon State Secondary Technical School, Abartey Junior High School, the Roman Catholic Primary School, the Yendi Jubilee Complex, and Yendi Primary Block B.
Speaking at the donation ceremony on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mohammad Habibu Tijani, said the schools were carefully chosen to reflect the culture, history, diversity and dynamism of educational institutions in Yendi and the role they have played and continue to play in the development of Ghana’s human resource.
The Member of Parliament for the Yendi constituency who read the the Foreign Minister’s statement explained that the 2nd Edition of the Ministry’s Back-to-School Campaign has taken place on the back of a successful 1st edition which was initiated and launched by Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey on 5th February, 2018.
Mohammad Habibu Tijani stated that the Campaign seeks to demonstrate the determination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to give practical meaning to Ghana’s people-centered foreign policy.
According to him, the objective of the Campaign, therefore, is to complement Government’s resolve at ensuring that all Ghanaians of school-going age access high quality education.
The Deputy Minister added that “It is in tandem with Government’s policy of providing free primary and secondary education to the Ghanaian youth.”
“At the global level, all of this is expected to lead to Ghana’s attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal four (4) on quality education, which has been mainstreamed into Government’s education policy,” he said.
“The theme for this edition: “Transforming Ghana; Equipping the Youth”, is therefore instructive. The Ministry shares in the belief that the youth of Ghana are critical to the Transformation Agenda being pursued by Government,” he stressed.
Mr. Tijani further explained that the Ministry also believes that the best way to empower the youth to play that critical role is to support their educational development. 
The Deputy Foreign Minister revealed that in choosing to intervene in the education sector, the Ministry does not in any way seek to assume the role of state agencies appropriately mandated by law to oversee the sector.
On the contrary, he observed, “ours is a complementary role, focused on communities that require additional support to what central Government is already providing; and that is partly the reason the Ministry has chosen to come to Yendi.”
He however pledged the Ministry’s commitment to replicate the gesture across the Dagbon Kingdom, the three (3) Northern regions and the rest of the country.
Meanwhile in a statement read on his behalf, the King of Dagbon, Yaa-Naa Abubakar II, commended the Foreign Affairs Ministry for the kind gesture.
According to him, “this programme will support the government’s effort at providing quality education to the youth, especially the most disadvantaged ones far away from the national capital.”
He emphasized that “education is the bedrock of any prosperous nation and that starts with a good foundation for the future torch bearers – the children.”
The Yaa-Naa therefore encouraged the pupils who benefited from the donation to take their studies seriously.
A Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Charles Owiredu was present at the event that sought to put smiles on the faces of children in the five (5) beneficiary schools as the academic term takes full force.
The two Deputy Ministers were accompanied by the Chief Director Ambassador Albert Yankey, Supervising Director Ambassador Sammie Eddico, Directors and supporting staff all of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
In attendance were the Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Sa-eed, Municipal Chief Executive of Yendi Alhaji Hammed Abubakar Yussuf, teachers, school authorities and a delegation of revered chiefs from the Dagbon Traditional Area.
Ahead of the event, the delegation called on the Overlord of the Dagbon Traditional area Yaa-Naa Abubakar II, who welcomed the team to the area and gave his blessings for a successful event.
Source: 3news.com | Ghana]]>
