A statement issued by AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the donation was in line with its commitment to improve access to quality basic education in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.

It said the donation was done in collaboration with Nana Abena Kunadjoa II, the Queen Mother of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area and Founder of the Nana Abena Kunadjoa II Foundation.

It noted that the teaching and learning materials included 3,000 exercise books, 750 notebooks, and 800 approved textbooks covering all the subject areas.

Presenting the items on behalf of the Mine, Mr Enoch Osei, Acting Senior Manager- Sustainability, AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine, noted the pivotal role of education in the growth and progress of every society, and reaffirmed the Mine’s commitment towards ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all in line with the Sustainable Development Goals Four (SDG 4).

“This donation shows Iduapriem Mine’s commitment towards ensuring that students in our catchment area are supported at every stage of the academic ladder to realize their potentials and we are very hopeful that these items will contribute to the improvement in the school’s academic performance,” he said.

Receiving the items, Mr Peter Kofi Amankrah, the Headmaster for Benso M/A Basic School, expressed gratitude to Iduapriem Mine and Nana Abena Kunadjoa II Foundation for the kind gesture.

He was hopeful the teaching and learning materials would go a long way to alleviate the plight of teachers and pupils in the school and contribute to improved academic performance.

“This donation would really help the school and help increase enrolment, as teachers would no longer have to improvise to help pupils understand lessons due to inadequate learning materials,” said Mr Amankrah.

“This situation affected the quality of education and resulted in a general lack of interest in the school by parents and students.”

On her part, Nana Abena Kunadjoa II, the Queen Mother of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, commended the Mine for its continuous support in improving the quality of education in its host communities and urged the headmaster of the school to take good care of the learning materials and use them for the intended purpose.

GNA