The Office of the Assemblyman for the Canteen electoral area has organized a community durbar to tackle pressing issues affecting the area, including low enrollment of students and high illicit drug abuse among the youth. The event, which brought together chiefs, opinion leaders, and members of the Assembly, aimed to address these challenges and find sustainable solutions.
The Assembly member for the Canteen electoral area, Hon. Ananpansah Bartholomew Abraham, stated that the durbar’s primary objective is to address school enrollment issues, drug use among youth, and pertinent health issues in the community. “We are determined to find solutions to these challenges and improve the lives of our community members,” he said. He expressed his pleasure at the high level of participation from the chiefs, opinion leaders, and Assembly members, believing that the rich ideas shared during the event will lead to community development.
Hon. Ananpansah highlighted some of the development projects underway in the community, including the construction of a six-unit classroom block for Canteen Primary School and a three-unit classroom block for Settlement. “These projects will improve teaching and learning and address enrollment issues,” he said. He expressed confidence that the teachers will commit to the agreements reached during the durbar and that the community will also play its part in uplifting the standard of education in Canteen.
Some of the concerns raised during the durbar include the use of students by teachers for non-school work during school hours. Hon. Ananpansah pledged to work with the Canteen citizens living in the diaspora, known as “Canteen Yara,” to add their resources as support to the community. “We will work together to address these challenges and improve the lives of our community members,” he said.
The Assemblyman appreciated the support of various stakeholders, including the Damongo MP, Care Ghana, Better Dream Foundation, the West Gonja Assembly, St. Anne Hospital, and the media. “We are grateful for the support and partnership of these organizations,” he said. He stated that the turnout alone has motivated him to work closely with the School Improvement Support Officer (SISO) to address the area’s issues.
The School Improvement Support Officer (SISO) for the Canteen circuit, Hon. Mumuni Mohammed, emphasized the need for the durbar, citing a decline in enrollment at the Canteen school. “We need to tackle this menace and ensure that our community’s children attend local schools,” he said. He charged stakeholders to work together to address the challenges facing the community.
The durbar featured free health screening, sensitization from the Narcotics Control Commission, and biometric birth certificate registration by the Births and Deaths Department. These activities aimed to address some of the health and administrative challenges facing the community.
