*JICA HANDS OVER 3 NEW CLASSROOM BLOCKS AND TOILET FACILITY TO THE GHANA EDUCATION SERVICE IN THE CENTRAL REGION*

Accra. 24th September, 2013. The Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, has handed over three new classroom blocks and 3-seater toilet facility for the Bereku Nyamebekyere Primary School to the Ghana Education Service in the Assin North District of the Central region last Tuesday. The hand-over ceremony was attended by visibly-elated chiefs, elders, women and school children in the community. School teachers, Ghana Education Service officials, Municipal Director of Education and JICA officials also graced the occasion.

The handing-over ceremony is part of the activities of the Project for Improvement of Access to Basic Education in Deprived Areas which started in 2010 at the request of the Government of Ghana (GoG) to the Government of Japan (GoJ) to construct schools for the most deprived areas in Ghana. Among other objectives, the Project seeks to eradicate poor and dilapidated school structures that often characterize basic education in deprived areas across the country.

The Project, in its broader scope and with a 605 million Japanese Yen grant (approx. US$ 6 million), aims at improving educational (learning) environment and access to basic education by constructing classrooms, teachers’ accommodation, toilet facilities and providing educational furniture in 33 Primary and Junior High Schools in the Central and Northern regions (16 schools in the Central region and 17 schools in the Northern region). Since the project’s inception, a number of schools have been completed and handed over.

The community members including chiefs, elders, women and school children expressed gratitude for the successful completion of the classroom blocks and toilet facility for the community. At the ceremony, a number of speeches were made by several people including the Deputy Director General (DDG) of Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr. Charles Yaw Aheto-Tsegah, the Assin North Municipal Director of Education, Mr. Phil Alex Amua-Baidoo, the JICA Education Advisor, Ms. Mama Laryea and the representative of the District Assembly, Mr. Charles Lartey.

In his speech, Mr. Charles Yaw Aheto-Tsegah acknowledged the key role the community had played in allocating land for the classroom block and KVIP toilet construction. He thanked JICA and the Japanese Government for its unwavering commitment at helping accelerate access to basic education in Ghana and for constructing the classroom and the toilet facility to create a conducive learning environment for children in the community. He urged the community to ensure the new structures were adequately maintained.