BY Daniel Bampoe
Member of Parliament for Tano North, Dr Gideon Boako, has turned a personal experience of growing up with limited resources into a support initiative aimed at helping more than 2,000 students beginning Senior High School in the constituency.
Dr Boako said the initiative was more than an act of generosity, describing it as the fulfilment of a long-held dream shaped by the difficulties he experienced as a young person trying to pursue education.
According to the Tano North MP, poverty and a lack of resources once placed his own educational aspirations at risk, particularly at the point when he was expected to progress to Senior High School.
He recalled that his journey from Bomaa to Bechem Presbyterian Senior High School was not without difficulties, but support from family members and individuals he described as “destiny-changers,” coupled with what he attributed to God’s grace, enabled him to overcome the obstacles and continue his education.
Dr Boako said his personal experience had influenced his decision to support young people in Tano North who are beginning a similar educational journey, noting that he wanted to return the support he received in his formative years in a greater measure.
As part of the initiative, more than 2,000 SHS entrants received educational items including chop boxes, exercise books, school bags and calculators.
The legislator described the items as his “little token” to the students and their families as they prepare for the demands of secondary education.
He expressed the hope that the assistance would ease some of the financial pressures facing families and enable the beneficiaries to concentrate on their studies as they begin a new stage of their academic lives.
Dr Boako also offered prayers for the beneficiaries, asking that the support they have received would help them realise their aspirations and eventually position them to assist others in the future.
The programme also received the presence and support of former Second Lady of Ghana, Samira Bawumia, whose participation Dr Boako described as an honour and an important contribution to the initiative.
He expressed appreciation to traditional leaders, referred to as Nananom, members of the clergy and other dignitaries who attended the event and supported the programme.
According to the MP, the presence of the various stakeholders added significance to an initiative centred on educational support for young people in the constituency.
The intervention comes at a period when families preparing their children for Senior High School often have to meet several educational and personal expenses beyond tuition-related requirements. For Dr Boako, however, the initiative has a personal dimension, having experienced first-hand the challenges that can arise when a promising student’s education is threatened by financial constraints.
His account of his own journey from Bomaa through Bechem Presec to his current position as a Member of Parliament formed the backdrop to his message to the beneficiaries.
He encouraged the students to take their education seriously, remain focused and pursue ambitious goals.
“To our dear students: May these items support you as you begin this exciting new chapter. Keep learning, dream big, and make Tano North proud,” he said.
Dr Boako’s initiative, which he associated with the theme #AmansanBoafoɔ, is presented as an effort to transform personal experience and gratitude into practical assistance for the next generation of students in Tano North.
He also used the occasion to reaffirm his belief that the support given to young people today can have a multiplier effect when beneficiaries eventually use their education and opportunities to contribute to their communities.
The event was graced by the former Second Lady, Mrs Hajia Samira Bawumia.
