Tongo (UE), July 20, GNA - A United States of America (USA) team, =91Gonna go Ghana', has been praised for providing Information and Communication Centre (ICT), computers and a projector for schools in the Talensi Nabdam District in the Upper East.

Mrs Vivian Anafo, the District Chief Executive (DCE), made the commendation on Wednesday in a speech read for her by Mr Yakubu Abdula Mumin, Assistant District Coordinating Director of the Assembly, at a ceremony to inaugurate the facility at Tongo. The centre, which is situated at Saint Joseph Junior High School (JHS)= , is supposed to serve 18 basic schools and staff of government departments. The team made up of Mrs Kirstin Green, Mr Ryan Allmandinger, Peace Corp Volunteers and Students from USA also donated 120 dual desks to the JHS The furniture, computers and projector and other educational materials valued about 20,000 US dollars.

Mrs Anafo said the donation was a complement to government's efforts= at promoting education. The DCE said the promotion of education was a shared responsibility an= d appealed to individuals and other organizations to support government in that direction.

Mrs Anafo said that because government was committed to promoting education, it had introduced pro-poor initiatives, including the distribution of free school uniforms and exercise books to school children, increase in the Capitation Grant and expansion of the School Feeding Programme.

She said: 93The District Assembly in its 2010-2011 budget has also budgeted for adequate provision of furniture to schools that do not have enough furniture."

The leader of the 91Gonna go to Ghana', Mrs Green, said she was po= sted to the Ashanti Region in 2002 as a Peace Corp Volunteer and subsequently sent to the Talensi Nabdam District and realised that the students were handicapped in terms of educational needs. She said worked hard to solicit assistance from the Rotary Club Coronado and Optimus Club Coronado among others to fund the Project. The District Director of Education, Mr Francis Ayaba, said the ICT centre and equipment would enhance academic work in schools in the District= .. He appealed to the school authorities to regularly maintain the facilities to prolong its lifespan. The Headmaster of Saint Joseph JHS, Mr Robert Atia, commended the USA team and the chairman of 91Peal Deng', a community-based development organization (CBDO), Mr Daniel Bangrey, for facilitating the acquisition of the ICT centre and furniture.

Mr Atia said the CBDO challenged citizens in the area to partner government in providing educational needs of school children, saying that was the best way of reducing poverty in the area. He expressed worry that some people spent lavishly on ceremonies such as funerals and alcohol and unnecessary things at the expense of their children's education.