The Municipal Director of Education for Jomoro in the Western Region, Edith Mary Hagan, has commended Member of Parliament for the Jomoro Constituency, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, for providing comprehensive educational support to brilliant but needy students entering Senior High School (SHS).
According to Mrs. Hagan, every September presents a difficult reality for many families as newly placed SHS students prepare to report to school, with parents struggling to raise money to purchase basic items required for their children’s education.
The Education Director made these remarks during the sixth edition of the Annual Scholarship Initiative spearheaded by Dorcas Affo-Toffey, which has supported more than 1,000 brilliant but needy SHS students from 111 public and private schools across the Jomoro Constituency in the year 2026 only.
The initiative provides support to students transitioning from basic education into various second-cycle institutions, helping families meet some of the essential requirements associated with SHS placement.
The intervention has been welcomed as an effort to reduce financial barriers confronting families and enable deserving students to take up their school placements with greater dignity and preparedness.
Mrs. Hagan said while some students are fortunate to have the necessary resources, others are forced to report to school with inadequate bedding and personal belongings, while some even sleep on bare floors because their families cannot afford mattresses.
“As the director, I know what happens every September. A child gets SHS placement, very brilliant, but the parents start crying: Where can I get money for a mattress and trunk?” Mrs. Hagan said.
She explained that some students arrive at school carrying their belongings in sacks, while others lack essential items such as chop boxes and mosquito nets, making them vulnerable to theft and difficult living conditions during their first days in school.
According to her, the financial challenges sometimes become so overwhelming that some brilliant but needy students are unable to take up their SHS placements and consequently remain at home.
Mrs. Hagan therefore described the scholarship package provided by the MP as a practical intervention that addresses the immediate challenges confronting students and their families.
“Hon. MP, what you have done today has removed the shame and the barrier. You have given thousands of children dignity to enter SHS like any other child,” she said.
She added that the initiative was not merely about distributing educational items but about preparing students adequately for the next stage of their academic journey.
“You have told them to go and learn. You have prepared them. This is practical scholarship. This is sponsorship that touches the ground,” she stressed.
Mrs. Hagan noted that the impact of investing in the education of young people could extend far beyond the beneficiaries themselves, urging stakeholders to view educational support as a long-term investment in society.
“The child you treat today may become the doctor who would treat you tomorrow or the MP who would take over from you,” she said.
She further emphasized the enduring value of education, describing it as an investment whose benefits could last a lifetime.
Call on Students to Protect Items
The municipal director of education also urged the beneficiaries to take good care of the items they had received and use them for their intended purposes.
She cautioned the students against damaging or misusing the educational materials and encouraged them to remain disciplined and focused on their studies.
“Your mattress is for sleeping and learning, not for misbehaving. Your exercise books are to write notes, not to be torn. Your mosquito nets are to protect you and help you learn,” she told the students.
Mrs. Hagan encouraged the beneficiaries to work hard, respect their teachers, and remember their roots as they pursue their education.
She also challenged them to replicate the gesture in the future by supporting other needy students when they become successful.
“One day, when God blesses you, come back and also give a mattress to a needy student,” she urged.
Education Directorate to Track Beneficiaries
Mrs. Hagan further called for collaboration between the MP’s office and the Jomoro Municipal Education Directorate to monitor the academic progress of beneficiaries of the scholarship program.
She proposed that the progress of the students should be tracked over the coming years to establish the long-term impact of the intervention.
“Let the Education Directorate help you track the progress of these students. Continue this. We want to know in three years’ time how many of them completed SHS and passed WASSCE. This would be the success story,” she said.
The call for monitoring, she explained, would help stakeholders determine whether the scholarship support was translating into improved educational outcomes and successful completion of secondary education.
The President of the Western Nzema Traditional Council, Awulae Kwasi Armachie III, said traditional leaders in the Western Nzema are satisfied with the contribution of the MP.
He said he was overwhelmed by the type of developmental projects the Deputy Transport Minister is bringing into various communities, especially when it comes to education.
Awulae Kwasi Armachie III explained that this step that has been taken by the MP shows she is a true pace setter, and whoever wishes to contest her should be ready to do the same or more.
Madam Affo-Toffey responded to the education director and the chief, assuring them of her continued support for the people.
She said several educational projects have been completed, and soon, the municipality will see a number of them being commissioned for the benefit of the people.
Madam Affo-Toffey called for support from the constituents in order to be able to perform.
