Atafram community gets first basic school after years without access to education

Residents of Atafram, a rural community in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region, can now access basic education after years of trekking several kilometres to neighbouring communities to attend school.

The community, with about 1,000 residents, had no basic school since its establishment, forcing children to walk to Bosomefreho to access education.

The situation, according to residents, exposed children to road accidents and other risks as they travelled long distances to and from school.

The Bosomtwe District Assembly has now intervened by constructing and commissioning a Kindergarten block for the community through the District Assemblies Common Fund.

The project is expected to provide the foundation for basic education in the community, with plans for primary and Junior High School facilities to be added later.

At the commissioning ceremony, the Chief of Atafram, Nana Gyan Ababio, said the absence of a school had negatively affected the educational development of the community.

He said communities with schools produced more educated professionals, but Atafram lagged behind because of the lack of an educational facility.

“Schools raise educationists in every community, but since we did not have a school, our educationists are few. Now that this government has finally brought a school to my community, I believe we will see more educationists in the future,” he said.

Nana Gyan Ababio expressed gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama and the Bosomtwe District Chief Executive, Ing. Abdullah Hamidu, for prioritising education in the community.

The DCE, Ing. Abdullah Hamidu, said the project was funded through the District Assemblies Common Fund to improve access to basic education in rural communities.

He explained that children from Atafram, over the years, have been walking to Bosomefreho to attend school, a situation which prompted the Assembly to intervene.

“Over the years, children from this community have been walking to Bosomefreho for school. So, I decided to use part of the Common Fund to construct a KG block to start basic education here. Primary and JHS facilities will come afterwards,” he said.

Ing. Hamidu said the Assembly would continue to use the Common Fund to address critical development needs in the district, particularly in education, healthcare and water.

He urged residents to patronise the school by enrolling their children and to take proper care of the facility to ensure that it serves the community for many years.

The Bosomtwe District Education Director, Rev. Ebenezer Oteng Marfo, also appealed to parents to send their wards to the newly commissioned school.

He said the facility had officially been opened to admit children, with one headteacher and one teacher currently assigned to the school.

“Now we have one headteacher and one teacher to take care of the children, but I will start the process for more staff to be posted here to help educate the children,” he said.

Following the commissioning, the District Chief Executive and the Assembly presented school uniforms and learning materials to the kindergarten pupils to enable them to begin their education.

The commissioning brought excitement to residents, who described the project as a long-awaited intervention that would significantly improve access to education and reduce the risks children face while travelling to schools outside the community.