Akropong (E/R), Feb 13, GNA - The Akropong School for the Blind has appealed to the government to increase the feeding grant for the students, which currently stood at GH¢0.80 per student daily. The school has also urged the government to release the feeding grant on time to avoid the pressure its authorities faced when the grant was delayed.

Mr John Stanley Annor, Headmaster of the School, made the appeal on Thursday, at a 'Day of Caring' ceremony, organized by United Way Ghana, a philanthropic organization, and sponsored by Newmont Ghana Limited, at Akropong in the Eastern Region.

Mr Annor said the meagre amount and the delay in releasing the grant made it difficult to provide nutritious meals for the students thus impeding the development of their mental capabilities. The school also faces the problem of textbooks not written in brail, which makes learning very difficult for the students. In addition, there is lack of accommodation for the staff, inadequate classrooms and dormitories for the increasing number of students.

The Headmaster said facilities such as water and other recreational centres were not available to make students engage in social events for their physical upkeep. However, Mr Annor said, in spite of these challenges, the school was making strides in academic performance and expressed the hope that it would raise some funds by showcasing some handicrafts of the students.

Newmont Ghana Limited drew a large team of its employees, including its top management personnel, to the school's campus to show love and affection to the students, painted the entire school building and dormitories, built summer huts for the students' recreational activities, cleared the weeds and presented food items to them. Mr Yaw Antwi-Dadzie, External Affairs Manager of the Company, said the programme was a way of demonstrating leadership in corporate social responsibility.

Mr Antwi-Dadzie said apart from honouring its responsibility for communities impacted by its activities, Newmont also made it part of its agenda each year, to show some love to the deprived in society by donating items and engaging in environmental cleanliness activities. The Akropong School for the Blind, started in 1936, currently has a student population of 350.