Ho, 26 June, GNA - The VALCO Trust Fund (VTF) on Friday donated equipment valued at 200.6 million cedis to eleven second cycle educational institutions in the Volta Region and urged the beneficiaries to have a good maintenance programme for the items. Krachi and Ntruboman Secondary Schools at Kete-Krachi and Brewaniase each received a gas cooker, deep freezer, pressing iron and sewing machine.

Sokode, Kpassa, Dorfor and Dodi-Papase Secondary Schools, as well as Akatsi and Dabala Secondary Technical Schools and Logba Agricultural Secondary School received a pallet each of science equipment while Anlo Technical Institute, Anloga and Alavanyo E.P. Vocational Training Institute got technical equipment and tools. Mr Joseph Larbi, Acting Executive Director of the Fund, who presented the items, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the Fund had had cause to be concerned about care for items donated. He said while some schools kept and maintained vehicles donated to them so well, others "ill-managed" them just to return to the Fund to ask for money to repair them.

Mr Larbi said the Fund has budgeted about 1.8 billion cedis on donations to schools this year, adding that institutions from seven regions had already benefited. He said the programme would give priority to deprived schools. In answer to Mr Fred Kpodo, Headmaster of Anyako Awomefia Secondary regarding the donation of vehicles to schools, Mr Larbi said the programme had been suspended due to lack of funds. Mr Mawusi Alexander Buadi, Assistant Director of Finance and Administration, GES Volta Regional Directorate, who received the items, asked heads of the beneficiary schools to ensure that the items were used only for the purposes for which they were meant.