Residents of Sang appeal for assistance for school affected by a storm

Residents of Sang in the Mion District have appealed to the Assembly and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) undertake maintenance work on the Saint Anthony Primary School which was affected by a recent storm.

They said the roof of the school was ripped off by rainstorm in April, 2019 and this has affected teaching and learning as well as many households in the area.

This, the residents said, has compelled many of the pupils and teachers to teach and learn under trees and in harsh weather conditions, thereby affecting output.

The residents made the appeal on Thursday at the maiden meet- the- press series organized by the Mion District Assembly.

This was to help bring the media and citizens on board in the development discourse of the Assembly and encourage citizen participation in the decision making processes at the decentralized level.

The residents further appealed to government to deploy more security persons to the area to help curb the alarming rates of armed robbery in the area.

Madam Victoria Williams Kantong, the Assistant Headmistress in charge of Administration for Sang Community Day Senior High School, appealed to the assembly to help provide boarding facility for the students and means of transportation for the staff.

Alhaji Mohammed Hashim Abdallah, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Mion, responding to some of the questions,, said the assembly, though had challenges in terms of resources, was making efforts to rehabilitate the primary school as soon as possible.

He appealed to the Minister for Education and donor agencies to support the Sang Community Day Senior High School with other learning needs to facilitate effective teaching and learning.

Alhaji Abdallah said government was committed to empower and build the capacity of the citizenry through its flagship programmes.

He said under the government's Planting for Food and Jobs programme, the District from 2017 to 2019 had received quantities of bags of fertilizers, seedlings including maize, rice, soybeans seeds, and litres of chemicals to combat fall army worm invasion of farms.

These inputs, he said, has benefitted about 20,814 farmers in maize, rice, and soyabean production in the district.

Alhaji Abdallah said 10 dams were allocated last year to the district adding that work has advanced to various stages of completion at seven dam sites including Kulinkpegu; Gunsi; Tinsung; Manyini; Namvilli; Sakoya and Tagnamo.

He said other initiatives by government that has massively benefited the citizens in the district include the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) programmes, Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), and the free Senior High School policies among others.

He said the district has carried out a number of projects including the establishment of CHPS compounds for some communities as well as the provision of furniture and classroom blocks among others.

Mr Saaka Sulemana, Information Officer for the Mion District Assembly, called on all qualified voters in the areas to come out to participate in the upcoming referendum by voting Yes in favour of political parties participation in the district level elections.

He also urged them to lobby their Member of Parliament to ensure the amendment of article 243 (1) of the 1992 constitution to enable the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).