Regent-Ghana Educational Empowerment Initiative:Changing The Status Quo
The foregoing has prompted Prof E. K. Larbi and Regent University College to embarked on the Adimadim-Kyenku Larbi community empowerment educational initiative, in collaboration with the Adimadim-Kyenku Larbi community. The implementation of this project is in line with the institution’s strong belief that as the nation searches for answers for her seemingly, intractable developmental challenges, the nation’s high educational sector must play a leading role. The project is also anchored in the strong conviction of the President of Regent-Ghana that it will take our collective responsibility to fully develop the potential of our people, and to move the agenda of development forward.
Certain interventions have been made in the past but they were all of a short term, and transient in nature. The intervention which has been initiated now, in the year 2009, is definitely more enduring. This new initiative is aimed at providing modern, high quality educational facilities (from Kindergarten to Senior High School) in a rural setting, comparable with any good school anywhere in the country.
The project is going to be in four phases.
Phase one will consist of:-
-The remoulding and completion of existing uncompleted school block (this will, among other things, involve plastering of both exterior and interior walls of the block; preparing and concreting of class room floors; repairing of damaged corridors and fixing of doors, windows, and facial board to existing block; construction of fences, gutter, and fixing of pavement blocks to correct erosion, and fixing an office for the teachers).
-The recruitment of additional teachers for the school, providing suitable furnished accommodation for the teachers;
-Securing a place for a Kindergarten;
-Construction of suitable toilet facilities for the school;
-Sinking a borehole for the school;
-Providing a computer laboratory;
-Providing modern chairs and tables for remedial classes in the evenings;
-Acquiring a generator for the school.
Phase two will consist of Remoulding and completing of the existing uncompleted primary school block.
Phase three will comprise:-
- Building and furnishing a residential block for the JHS and primary school teachers;
- Construction of hostel facilities for the JHS;
- Construction of modern class rooms for the JHS;
- Construction of a facility to house a library, a computer and science laboratory;
- Construction of an assembly hall;
- Construction of a cafeteria;
- Construction and installation of biogas facility to provide electricity for the school;
The commencement of a continuation school programme to provide technical and vocational training for those who could not move on to Senior High School.
The penultimate of this empowerment project will be the construction of facilities for a top class JHS; the construction of decent toilet and biogas facilities for the community, the construction of a community centre and the establishment of a clinic for the village.
The Rural Educational Empowerment Project goes beyond the provision of physical structures to include the alleviation of other factors that contribute to the powerlessness and pauperization of the poor in this community. The completion and dedication of the first phase of the project will culminate in a three-day empowerment crusade where presentations on the value of education, the virtues of the Christian faith and the abundant life in Christ, family planning and Reproductive Health issues, the dangers of teenage pregnancy, virtues of hard-work, the dangers of superstition, etc, will be addressed.
The remoulding and repair works of the existing JHS block is about 95% done; doors and windows are being fixed, and should be completed within two weeks. A lot has been achieved within four weeks, thanks for the public spiritedness of some twenty volunteers from Regent University College, who generously responded to the call for duty with ultra enthusiasm and zeal, as if they were being paid for their services. Both full time workers and part-time workers of the College saw this as a call to duty.
The zeal and enthusiasm of the Adimadim-Kyenku Larbi community has also been encouraging; men, women, and children have all been involved in one way or the other. The leadership has been fully behind the empowerment project. One of the government sponsored teachers in the school has shown profound interest in the project by fully participating in the ongoing works. He has been fully involved in all the four Saturdays that the project has been executed. It also needs to be mentioned that not everyone in the community or is associated with the community is showing the expected interest. It is hoped this will change in the course of time. Whatever be the case, by the grace of God, the project will proceed unperturbed.Two teachers have already been recruited for the project. Their presence has already registered profound interest in the revival of education in the community. Some dropouts have returned to school;
The two teachers sponsored by the College have seriously commenced remedial classes for the Children. Attendance has been very encouraging; some individuals who have already gone through the JHS but did not do well are attending the classes with the current students. Twenty five beautiful chairs with writing units have been provided for the evening classes.
Through the hospitality of the project director, Prof. E. K. Larbi, a decent housing arrangements have been provided for two of the teachers in the JHS sponsored by the government, and two of the Teachers sponsored by the College. All necessary modern amenities one would expect in a decent accommodation in an urban area are provided in this housing. The headmaster, however, prefers to commute from Suhum because of family reasons; another teacher also prefers to commute from Suhum on his own bike because he is said to be involved in some part-time teaching activities at Suhum.
The project has been inspired by the visionary efforts of Governor Nehemiah of the Bible, who was able to accomplish the reconstruction of the broken walls of Jerusalem in a record time; inspite of some arduous challenges and attacks, he was able to complete the reconstruction work in 52 days, a task that had been abandoned for over 90 years, by his predecessors. Under the initiative of the Prof. E. K. Larbi, a lot of work has been accomplished in a short period. Four Saturdays were earmarked for a major push of the project. The first Saturday was on 12th September, 2009 and the last Saturday, 10th October, 2009.
About 95 percent of the work on the existing JHS block has been done. To the glory of God, the first phase of the work is expected to be commissioned in December. The other phases of the work will still require greater determination and sacrifice but with the conviction that we are engaged in a good cause ( championing the cause of the rural poor, the vulnerable and the disenfranchised), the good and gracious God whose work we are involved, will provide all the necessary resources The efforts being made towards this project will be enhanced if electricity is extended to the community as quickly as possible. Already some monies have been previously collected by the leadership of the Adimadim-Kyenku-Larbi community, and paid to some officials, ostensibly to enable power to be extended from Sowatey ( a small township located between Suhum and Asamankese main road) to Kyenku Larbi. Nothing has happened yet!








