MP TO PROVIDE CLASSROOM BLOCK FOR VOCATIONAL INSTITUTE (PAGE 20)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bawku

THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Binduri in the Upper East Region, Mr Mark Awuni, has promised to construct a two-unit six-classroom block for the William Ofori Atta Memorial Institute, a community-based vocational institute at Nayoko in the Bawku Municipality.
Speaking at the first graduation ceremony of the institute, Mr Awuni expressed concern about the way students in the community commuted between seven and 11 kilometres to and from the institute daily to acquire employable skills.
He pledged to use part of his share of the MPs Common Fund to finance the project as soon as it was released.
The vocational institute was founded by two philanthropists through a non-governmental organisation—Partners International, in July 2005.
The first batch of students who graduated from the institute recently were trained in dressmaking, batik and tie-dye, among others.
The MP commended the graduates for their perseverance, which he said would go a long way to help fight the level of poverty in the area. He also advised the graduands to ignore the admonition from their colleagues to travel to either Kumasi or Accra for non-existent jobs, stressing that should they heed such calls, they would end up on the streets.
Mr Awuni also encouraged parents to send their children, especially females to school instead of keeping them at home.
A member of the Board of Governors of the institute, Dr Roger Kanton, said the institute, which was strategically located, deserved special attention from the government as a way of addressing the abject poverty plaguing the people.
The acting Principal of the institute, Pastor Noah Abdul-Karim, said a co-operative society had been formed within the institute for the graduates to assist them in securing start-up capital to start micro-projects.
He said courses run at the institute included secretarial, fashion and design, information and communication technology.
Pastor Abdul-Karim added that technical courses such as building and construction, carpentry and joinery, electrical installation, blacksmithing and welding would soon be introduced at the institute.