Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has encouraged residents of Zongo communities to embrac the opportunity presented to them through the Free SHS policy of the Government of President Nana Akufo-Addo, to educate their children.
Speaking to his fellow Muslims el the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Subin, in the Ashanti Region during his 2019 Ramadan Tour of the region, Dr. Bawumia noted that one of the surest ways to ease endemic poverty associated with Zongo communities is through human development, and that, he said, could be achieved through education, hence the Government’s introduction of the free senior high school policy to make secondary education free and accessible to people who, hitherto, could find it extremely difficult to fund their children’s secondary education.
“My brothers and sisters in the Zongo communities, I want to urge all of you to take advantage of the Government’s progressive policy on education,” said Dr. Bawumia.
“Until recently, many parents had to really struggle to finance the secondary education of their children and this was really unbearable for duellers of deprived communities such as the Zongo communities. This is why Nana Akufo-Addo introduced the free senior high school, so let us take advantage of this policy and send our children to school for a brighter future for them.”
The Vice President underscored the importance of education, saying pursuit if knowledge was a very important call which the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) made.
“The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was very particular about the pursuit of knowledge and he urged people to pursue knowledge, even if they had to travel far,” Dr Bawumia noted.
The Vice President added that as children from Zongo communities access free secondary education, it is also important for parents to also focus their attention on giving their children Islamic education as well.
He said the Government of Nana Akufo-Addo is very particular about Islamic education for children in the Zongo communities, hence the Government’s decision to formerly engage the services of over 3000 Islamic tutors (Mallams) across the country.
Dr Bawumia assured that Government will continue to prioritise the development of Zongo communities through the Ministry for Inner-Cities and Zongo Development and the Zongo Development Fund, which were set up by President Akufo-Addo to facilitate the development of Zongo Communities.
From the Ahmadiyya Mosque, Dr. Bawumia and his entourage also visited the Ejisu and Konongo central mosques to join his fellow Muslims to pray.
The Vice President also interacted with the chiefs and people of Ejisu and Konongo traditional areas respectively.
