Bongo, (UE), Sept. 10, GNA - Right to Play, a non-governmental organization has presented sports equipment made up of 44 footballs, 140 skipping ropes, 600 cones, 42 whistles, 215 beam bags and 450 reading goals books to 20 Basic Schools in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region.

The NGO also constructed a volleyball court and provided seven poly tanks to seven schools in the area.

Mr Clement Akugre, the Bongo District Chief Executive, commended the NGO after he received the sports equipment for the schools, and said the donation to the schools is opportune and will go a long way in improving sports development in the District.

He said the items would also help promote sports activities in the District and regretted that most of the schools in the area did not have sports equipment and that affected the teaching and learning of Physical Education in the schools.

Mr Akugre called on the teachers to encourage many more of the students and pupils in sporting activities and not to park the equipment and deny them from using them.

"You the teachers by engaging the children in active sports, you also thus take part in exercising and this will help to prolong your lifespan".He added.

Mr Ben Kasimu Wumbla, Project Manager of Right to Play in Charge of Northern Ghana, said the NGO has been working with schools in the District for the past one and half years with an aim of promoting sports to facilitate teaching and learning.

He said to achieve their aim some selected teachers were trained in sporting activities to enable them use it to teach the children and indicated another reason was that it was realised that Physical Education was almost dying because of lack of sports equipment in the District.

Mr Wumbla said reading goals books have been also been donated by sports ambassadors like the Michael Essien Football Foundation and the Chelsea football club and entreated teachers to discuss such issues as teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and migration among others and to sensitize the children about the dangers of indulging in social vices.

He announced that in October this year Right to Play would organise a football competition for children with special needs.