It was an emotional sight for one to behold, a moment feel with ‘tears of joy’, a moment where parents, teachers and pupils heaved a sigh of relief from deprivation of quality of basic education at Tupaa, a farming community within the Ga South Municipal Assembly in the Greater Accra Region was presented with a new six-unit classroom block by Tigo Ghana as part of its Shelter4Education project.

Tupaa Basic School the only educational facility in the village which also serves other ten farming communities in the area has been operating under sheds made from palm branches for over two decades; and has a school population of about one hundred and sixty with nine professional teachers including the head master Mr Osamn Kweku Eshuon.

Livingston Mensah one of the teachers said in an interview that due to the deplorable condition of the school most parents find it difficult to send their ward to the school and also most teacher posted to the school by the Ghana Education Service do not accept posting to the school. “Look at the conditions here, very bad. If it starts to rain all the children you see here will have to go home because of the rain. Those coming from other nearby villages will have to stay with friends for the rain to stop” he said.

Bailon Dzokoto also a teacher at Tupaa Basic School believes with the construction of the newly six –unit classroom block to the community by Tigo Ghana, admission into the various classes will soar in the next academic year.

“Parents around this village upon seeing this new school building will bring their wards here for education. They will feel proud to have their wards attend school in this building, because at first they don’t respect this school because we study under trees with no proper educational structures in place here. I am so happy for what Tigo Shelter4Education has done for us”.

In her remarks during a brief ceremony to officially hand over the school complex to the chief and people of the village the Municipal Education Director for Ga South Municipal Assembly Mrs Margaret Frempong Kore acknowledged the deplorable condition of Tupaa Basic School and described it as the worst environment for school going children.

“The sight greeted me when I first came here with my team as part of my familiarization tour of the Assembly as the new Director of Education; it was so shocking. I never believed my eyes to find a basic school like Tupaa a community within the region that is home to the capital city of Ghana. I had tears in my eyes when I saw these kids defying all odds to study under such a horrible condition”.

The Education Director expressed her profound gratitude to the kind gesture extended by Tigo Ghana under the Shelter4Education Programme and pleaded with Tigo to help assist the Assembly to improve the quality of education in the area.

On her part, the Director of Corporate Communications and CSR at Tigo Ghana, Gifty Bingley disclosed how Tigo Ghana placed an important priority on education and believes that it is key to unlocking the chains of poverty.

“We believe that the future belongs to these beautiful children. That is why we are creating a conducive environment for them. We remain committed to empowering communities by promoting educational opportunities that makes a positive difference in life” she noted.