This year’s ‘My First Day at School Festival’ was marked across the country on Tuesday, 10th January, 2023. The festival was accordingly celebrated within the Pru East District. As part of activities to mark the event, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. Alhaji Adams Abdulai accompanied by Mr. Sylvester Tabiasi-Naa, the District Director of Education, and other officials from the Education Directorate visited selected schools in the district. The Schools visited included Brekente D/A Basic School, Korancha D/A Basic School, Vutideke D/A Basic School, Tonka D/A Basic School, Konkoma D/A School, amongst others. KG 1 pupils, new entrants and pupils entering the mainstream school at Basic 1 at the various schools were welcomed with toffees, biscuits, drinks, etc.
At the schools, the Director of Education and the Hon. DCE took turns to encourage pupils to prioritize their education, take their academic work seriously, be punctual and discipline to enable them achieve their career goals. The Hon. DCE explained that it was through these qualities that could help them become useful to the society. In addition, he urged them to accord their teachers and the elderly with maximum respect.
Some community residents who met the DCE during his visit were also encouraged to get more involved in the activities of schools within their localities. Parents who were yet to enroll their children to school were also encouraged by the DCE to do so.
At the various schools, a comparable challenge highlighted by Head teachers within the in the fishing and farming communities was lack of school feeding programme in their schools. It was revealed that the absence of the feeding programme made it difficult for pupils to stay in school. Pupils habitually left school to the farm/home for their daily meals. The Head teachers therefore appealed to the DCE to extend the feeding programme to schools within the area.
The DCE in response mentioned that proposals had been forwarded to the School Feeding Secretariat to get more schools enrolled onto the programme. He gave them assurance that once approval was received, schools within the area would be duly enrolled onto the programme.
In a nutshell, this year’s ‘My First Day at School’ Festival celebration in the Pru East district was memorable for all new entrants and pupils entering the mainstream school. Pupils were not only welcomed to school but were also encouraged to stay at school. Attendance of pupils and teachers at the various schools visited was encouraging. Teachers and pupils were pleased to see the DCE and his retinue. They pleaded for more of such visits to help boost school enrollment.
