Abetifi (ER), May 21, GNA - The People of West Orange, a community in New Jersey in the United States on Wednesday donated educational materials worth 20,000 US dollars to 14 basic schools at Abetifi and Yaw Tenkorang near Hweehwee in the Eastern Region.

The items, including assorted text books, toys, exercise books, school bags, used clothing, pens and pencils were to enhance effective teaching and learning in the schools.

Mr Emmanuel Sackey, a resident of West Orange and citizen of Abetifi who presented the items said he had stayed outside for over 15 years and it was important to donate the items to help raise the standard of education of school children in his home country. He advised teachers of the beneficiary schools to put the materials to good use to raise the standard of education in the area.

Mr Sackey said efforts were being made to organize exchange programmes for some of the schools at Abetifi and West Orange. Dr Eric Johnson, Educational Advisor of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at the American Embassy in Accra, who accompanied Mr Sackey, said the American government had since last year, spent 70 million US dollars in aids towards improving democracy, education and economic growth in Ghana.

He urged the schools to put the items to good use to improve educational standards among students in the community. Nana Asiedu Agyemang III, chief of Abetifi, who received the items said the 28 schools in the town faced problems such as poor infrastructure, inadequate books and school uniforms.

He commended Mr Sackey and the people of West Orange for the assistance, which he said would enhance education of the children to eradicate illiteracy and poverty which thwarted the democratic process in the area. Mr Samuel Donkor, Kwahu East District Coordinating Director, said though the education of the nation's children was the responsibility of the government, it could not provide the needed logistic and infrastructure needed for effective teaching and learning in the schools alone. He said the government had abolished the payment of school fees with the d introduction of the capitation grant and the school feeding programme to enable more school children to attend school. He thanked the American Embassy in Accra, the American Export Line and Papso Fruit Juice for their collaboration towards the shipment of the materials into the country. Similar items were presented to school children of the Yaw Tenkorang primary school.