The Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems (RAINS), a non-governmental organization, has distributed 100 bicycles to pupils in the Northern Region to facilitate their access to education.

The bicycles were to help the beneficiary pupils, who were from Bidma, Sang, Kpachilo and Zosali communities in the West Gonja, and Mion Districts, and Savelugu Municipality, get to school on time as they walked long distances to their schools.

The distribution of the bicycles formed part of RAINS’ Integrated Community Empowerment Programme (INCOME) funded by the Canadian Feed The Children (CFTC) to enhance quality primary education and early childhood care delivery.

The INCOME programme also seeks to create the requisite environment to promote effective and quality teaching and learning in school, as well as building the capacity of parents and community stakeholders, to facilitate change and embrace innovative and adaptive measures to ensure household food security and livelihoods.

The remaining 26 bicycles out of the 100 bicycles were given to pupils of the Sang Zakaria Islamic School at Sang in the Mion District.

Ms Gloria Wusufor Akugri, Project Officer in-charge of INCOME 11 at RAINS, who spoke at the ceremony to present the remaining bicycles to the pupils at Sang, said they were to help facilitate needy but brilliant pupils’ access to schools.

Ms Akugri urged the pupils to take good care of the bicycles such that other pupils could use them when they completed school.

She advised the pupils to be responsible while riding the bicycles to keep them safe.

Mr Amadu Hamza, a Teacher at Sang Zakaria Islamic School, expressed gratitude to RAINS for the gesture, saying it would help pupils to be punctual, which would enhance teaching and learning leading to improved performance.

Mr Hamza appealed to government to help provide more learning materials and other interventions to help support pupils in rural communities to enhance their learning.

Mr Abukari Muniru, a parent who spoke on behalf of the parents and guardians of the beneficiaries, thanked RAINS for its intervention, saying it had reduced some of their responsibilities as parents toward the education of their children.