Rabotec Group, a mining services company and contractors of Asanko Gold Mines, has presented educational materials worth more than GHS30, 000 to 16 selected primary and Junior High schools within its catchment areas.
The items include 10,000 exercise books each, over 1,000 pencils and chalks to the schools at its Obotan and Esaase catchment areas in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti region.
Chief Executive Officer of Rabotec Group, Ali Ibrahim, said the vision of the company was to groom the children to take over the mines in the next 10 to 20 years.
He said the presentation of the books was to build a solid educational background for local communities to take charge of the mines in line with its local content law.
Mr. Ibrahim, with over 25 years’ experience as a mining engineer, said the company was rolling out a local policy programme to expand its activities across the sub-region to benefit Ghanaians.
Currently, Rabotec has extended its operations to neighbouring Sierra Leone with plans to soon rollout other countries.
Beyond education, the company is focusing on providing start-up capital for local market women as well as promote local businesses.
It has also focused its energies in assisting some orphanages in the Greater Accra region and a few in the Ashanti region.
The Ag. Community Affairs Manager for Asanko Gold, Mr. Jerry John Duah said the vision of Rabotec falls in line with that of Asanko and the new partnership will help promote the reading culture within the district.
Already, Asanko in partnership with the Canadian Organisation for Development through education (CODE) and the Ghana Book Trust has instituted a reading programme and has been supporting the schools with books and visual materials.
The Circuit Supervisor of the Ghana Education Service for Datano Circuit, Mr Pious Affum, urged parents to embrace government’s new educational reforms and policies intended to improve the lots of students.
He called for collaboration between all stakeholders in the country’s educational sector, including the private sector, to ensure effective implementation of the policy.
The assistant headmaster for Manso Nkran Kodinase Dadiase Primary and Junior High School, one of the beneficiary schools, Isaac Darko, called for the establishment of a computer library to introduce the pupils to ICT before their final exams.
He said the children have learnt the subject theoretically but lack the practical aspect of using the computer, which if not addressed, could affect them during their final exams.
By Wisdom Jonny-Nuekpe
