Jirapa MP provides SHS prospectus items to 1,196 fresh graduates

The Member of Parliament for Jirapa, Cletus Seidu Dapilah, has provided essential Senior High School (SHS) prospectus items to 1,196 fresh graduates across the municipality.

The items—comprising over 1,000 student mattresses, 1,000 metal trunks, 1,000 buckets, 1,000 mathematical sets, 12,000 exercise books, and pens—were distributed directly to eligible first-year students and parents at a ceremony held in Jirapa.

On the first day of the exercise, 659 registered beneficiaries walked away with their complete student packages, while a designated distribution depot has been established to cater to candidates awaiting late placement.

The intervention addresses a chronic socio-economic challenge in the Upper West Region, where the financial burden of purchasing boarding house items frequently forces young junior high school graduates into dangerous ventures to raise money for school.

Addressing the gathering, Cletus Seidu Dapilah explained that his motivation stemmed from his professional background as a classroom teacher who has witnessed first-hand how material deprivation undermines academic performance.

"I am a teacher myself, and I have spent time in the classroom. I understand the challenges our teachers and students face," Hon. Dapilah remarked. "I have seen how difficult it can be for a student who lacks the basic items needed to participate effectively in school."

Quoting Nelson Mandela’s adage that education remains the most potent weapon to change the world, the lawmaker charged the students to look beyond their impoverished backgrounds and focus on high aspirations.
"These items are not simply gifts; they are a reminder that your community believes in you. Do not look at where you are coming from and conclude that you cannot achieve greatness.

Look instead at where you want to go," the MP urged, citing prominent Jirapa native icons such as the late former Minister Edward Kojo Salia and former Inspector-General of Police Peter Nanfuri, who rose to national prominence through education.

The Municipal Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Huudu A. Kunaateh, revealed that the period following the release of BECE results is often fraught with grave dangers for candidates who struggle to meet admission requirements.

"Many of our children, with the release of BECE, travel down south. Some go to galamsey pits, and others end up in Kumasi and Accra in the kayayei trade, all in the name of getting these materials before school opens," Mr. Kunaateh stated.

"Unfortunately, some go and never return because galamsey pits collapse on them, shattering the family's dreams. Others return home as young mothers or fall victim to undesirable elements, ending their education before it even begins," he noted, commending the MP for providing a timely intervention that directly removes this incentive for risky migration.

The Paramount Chief of the Jirapa Traditional Area, Naa Dinaa Donglabong Ganaa III, who chaired the function, lauded the MP for looking beyond politics to safeguard the municipality's human capital.
"When a leader provides educational materials to students, he is doing more than distributing items—he is removing a barrier between a child and their educational ambition," the Paramount Chief noted.

Naa Donglabong Ganaa III, however, reminded the students that physical items are merely enablers of learning rather than substitutes for discipline. "A book cannot read itself, a pen cannot write an examination by itself, and a school uniform cannot attend classes on its own. Use these tools wisely, study hard, and make Jirapa proud," he advised.

Demonstrating strong administrative collaboration, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Jirapa, Peter N-N-To-ang, endorsed the initiative, highlighting that it complements ongoing municipal efforts to expand learning infrastructure.

Mr. To-ang disclosed that the Assembly, in partnership with the MP, recently handed over a three-unit classroom block to St Augustine JHS, distributed 400 dual desks, 150 mono desks, and 360 hexagonal chairs across basic schools, and engaged the Ghana Library Authority to construct a modern library complex in the municipality.

Delivering a vote of thanks on behalf of her peers, a beneficiary student, Dery Ernestina Zupog, emotionally conveyed the profound relief the package brought to families unable to afford the prohibitive cost of secondary school prospectus lists.

"In fact, I cannot imagine this. Our parents could not afford to buy these items for us to go to school, but our MP stepped in to support us," she said, leading the gathering in an impassioned prayer for the MP.

Mp Dapilah assured candidates still awaiting school placement not to panic, stating that provisions have been secured for all 1,196 eligible graduates. "Subsequently, those who will be getting later placement, later admissions, we will provide a venue for them to go and pick these items without any problem.

Anytime you secure your admission or placement, we will provide a venue for you to walk confidently and go and pick these items," the MP concluded.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.