Amankwaakrom (E/R), July 17, GNA - The Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) on Friday launched a foundation, which would recruit and train persons to teach in the authority's rehabilitated basic schools in deprived areas. Known as the International Foundation for Education and Self Help (IFESH), the MiDA performed the launch in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Education.

The USAID, the main sponsor, is to train 260 teachers in 30 selected districts in Ashanti, Eastern, Central and Northern Regions for the next two years. Inaugurating the program at Amankwaakrom in the Kwahu North District, the Country Representative of IFESH, Mr Kwasi Dzidzienyo, said the trainees would be selected from deprived communities. He said they would attend classes at selected centres at Abetifi, Ajumako and Tamale.

Mr Dzidzienyo said they would be trained with text books and methodology provided by the Ministry of Education at the College of Education and later awarded a Diploma Certificate at the end of four-year training. He said, however, that the teachings would commence along side the training. The Chief Executive Officer of MiDA, Mr Eson-Benjamin, said the authority had rehabilitated seven classroom blocks in five communities in the Kwahu North District and had also selected some people from the communities for training under the IFESH program. He advised the selected trainees to take the programme seriously and to return to their communities to impact the knowledge to the intended beneficiaries in the deprived areas. The District Director of Education, Mr Gabriel Adu, appealed for the construction of teacher's quarters and a means of transport to motivate teachers to offer their best.