The opposition New Patriotic Party in the Ashanti Region began the distribution of 4,000 sets of uniforms to school children free of charge in the Ejura-Sekyedumasi Municipality yesterday.
It was in fulfillment of the party’s free uniform policy for school children in deprived areas, after the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had failed to fulfill the promise made to the electorate during the 2012 electioneering campaign.
“This move is to ensure that poverty does not prevent any child from accessing at least basic education in the country,” the NPP stated.
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, aka Chairman Wontumi, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, who led the distribution team at market places and some primary schools at Ejura, said the party also gave out 5,000 pens in addition to the school uniforms.
According to him, academic performance of some pupils had been affected by their parents’ inability to acquire school uniforms and pens for them, adding that the social intervention programme would lead to the distribution of three million sets of uniforms for school children.
For Chairman Wontumi, the provision of the free school uniforms was NPP’s own way of assisting the beneficiaries to make themselves available for formal education to become useful citizens in future.
He indicated that the NPP would continue with the social intervention project into 2016 and beyond; by which time he was hopeful that the party might have recaptured power to execute more of such programmes for the poor.
He had earlier said the NPP would solicit for funds from its members and other well-wishers to sustain the project when he first announced it during a protest march in Kumasi recently against high cost of living.
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako was accompanied by the Member of Parliament for the area, Mohammed Salifu and NPP Programmes Manager of Free School Uniforms, Andy Owusu.