To meet the ever-increasing demand of the school population at Kamgbunli in the Ellembelle District, tomato farmers in the area mostly women, have contributed to build a Primary school block valued at GHc300,000.00 for the community.
The gesture, formed part of Self-Help Community Projects to augment existing infrastructure needs in the school.
Secretary to the Steering Committee of the Tomato Farmers Association, at Kamgbunli, Mr Shaibu Issa disclosed this to Ghana News Agency during a visit to the school.
Tomato farming has become the mainstay of Kamgbunli, apart from cash crops such as cocoa and rubber, with about 700 women actively involved in the business.
Mr Shaibu Issa who is a former Presiding Member at the Ellembelle District Assembly and now the Registrar at the District Magistrate Court at Nkroful, told GNA- that since the community could not rely on the government alone, each farmer was levied to pay at least GHc100.00 though others paid more.
According to him, the classrooms were overstretched with more than 80 pupils in a class, which was not conducive for sound academic work.
The Registrar said though the Primary school block was not complete, the school had to move in since it was at roofing level.
He said the first batch of Junior High School form one students would be ready next academic year so the Steering Committee had decided to complete an abandoned block started by an NGO for the JHS forms one and two.
Mr Issa mentioned a water project, Islamic mission house, support of Uthman Bin Affan Islamic Senior school with funds to run the school as some of the social interventions initiated by the tomato farmers association in the community.
He said the next target would be the construction of a JHS ‘C’ block to ease congestion in the classrooms.
He commended the women for their efforts on the tomato farms, adding that at the end of the tomato season, a farmer could garner GHc50,000.00 from the sales.
Mr Issa said men in the community were also willing to venture into the tomato business but noted that the market was not readily available.
The Assembly Member at Kamgbunli Electoral area, Mr Dauda Musah said with a population of about 5,000, there was the urgent need to expand existing infrastructure in the town.
He hinted that the tomato farmers would pay another levy to complete the JHS one and two classroom blocks.
GNA