An America-based Islamic Charity Organization, Baitulmaal with world-wide donors from Texas, Chicago and Pakistan among others, has donated 1,200 educational materials worth thousands of cedis to pupils from Savannah and Bono East Regions at the Kadelso English and Arabic Primary and Junior High Schools in the Kintampo Municipality.
The gesture is to aid Government fight against school drop out in Islamic Communities. The donation is to also enhance school enrollment and retention of the Muslim Girl-Child among others.
The items which will be shared among 200 beneficiaries, include; 200 school bags, 200 set of school uniforms and 200 pair of shoes. The rest are; 200 exercise books and 200 pieces of erazers and 200 pens.
In an interview with JoyNews, the program Coordinator of Baitulmaal USA, Sheikh Mohammed Maher says the donation among others, is to encourage pupils to willingly continue schooling without compulsion and not to be physically abused to do so. He says the organisation has mapped out several plans to develop the community using education and appealed to parents and local authorities to also play their roles.
According to him, “Baitulmaal USA loves Africa and is aimed at promoting Islamic education on the continent that is why Kadelso school was jointly built with funds by our Islamic charity donors from WEFA International Humanitarian Relief Organization and Aldiaa society Ghana”, he indicated.
He adds that, one of the objectives for the Baitulamaal is to see people happy and , “you remember that during the Holy Month of Ramadan , Edul fitr and Edul adha celebrations we came here and distributed food items and cows in order to make our community school children and parents happy”, Sheikh Mohammed Maher indicated.
The Coordinator later assured the community that, “we will sustain the back to school projects in Kadelso community and other parts of Ghana”, Mr. Maher indicated.
While commenting Government for the introduction of the School Feeding Program, the Coordinator for Northern Ghana Stakeholder for America-based NGO Projects, Baba Iddrisu Neidow has appealed to the Ghana Education Service to as a matter of priority, include more English and Arabic Schools in the program.
The School Feeding Program is not here in Kadelso and I believe when introduced here, it will motivate more parents to bring their children to school especially, the girl-child and further influence pupils’ interest to stay in school and learn”, he stated.
He described the materials presented as what is needed to keep students in school.
“In fact, this type of program is the missing link in the Ghana Education system. And because of that, when schools are resuming, pupils aren’t ready to come back but as soon as they get to know that there is a program like this coming on, they (pupils) are willing to come.
Our project will increase enrollment, it will also help to increase school retention because students will come to school. Their parents cannot force them but because of these materials, they will be motivated enough to stay in school”, Mr. Baba Iddrisu Neidow stated.
He further stated that the program will further increase the Muslim population in school, “it will also increase the Muslims population in the educational sector because many of our people are not into school and the English and Arabic schools have been abandoned by all if I may say so”, Mr. Baba Iddrisu Neidow insisted.
