2008/09 Report from BFSC, Kpando

The period under review ended on the 6th of August 2009. On this day, parents, students,  teachers and   the community came together to mark the day with feasting, poetry recitals, drumming and dancing heaving a sigh of relief after going through a long and hectic academic year.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE:
It is worthy to note that BFSC has presented the first batch of her students for an external examination to qualify them to the next cycle of their education. Out of the fourteen students presented, thirteen have passed well given the school a 93% rating. This percentage rating puts the school at the second position in the Kpando District. An enviable position.
It is also worthy to note that, all the thirteen students have placement on the Ghana education service National placement list for higher education. Five of them were offered science related courses, four business courses, and the rest four had General Art’s courses.
Internally, only two children repeated their classes. One repeated stage five and the other Junior High School one (JHS1). This is a complete departure from the numerous repetitions recorded formally due to poor performance.

SPORTING ACTIVITIES:
During the period under review, Bishop Forson school complex participated in the inter schools sporting activities organized by the Ghana education service, for the first time. The school came second out of ten participating schools. This feat is as a result of the positive effect sporting equipment provided by Pagus has made in the school.

STAFFING:
Two teachers have left the school for higher education. All other teachers are at post contrary to what happened in the past where about 8 teachers could leave creating room for the employment of new teachers and going through the process of training to equip them with teaching and child management skills.

SCHOOL POPULLATION:
During the period under review, school population moved from 222 to 258 pupils, by the close of the period. This is an improvement on the previous year’s enrollment.

BOARDING FACILITY:
During the period the school has provided two buildings which are being use as boarding house. One for the boys and one for girls. The second building is financed with a loan from the school’s bankers, while the first building was provided by Rev. Forson Glover. Within this period, ten students were boarders staying on campus with other sponsored kids.

PAGUS ACTIVITIES:
Pagus Africa a very active partner of BFSC within the period under review has sponsored eighty six (86) children twelve (12) out of them residing on campus. In all, Pagus has paid a total amount of $22,500 as tuition for the sponsored children. Four of such sponsored students were also among the first batch of students presented for the first external examination and have passed with very good grades. These children could not have been in school but for the timely intervention of Pagus Africa.
Pagus has also provided the following:
-Doors and door locks for 4 class rooms
-Cupboards with classroom supplies for all the 13 class rooms including the boarding houses.
-Established a school infirmary with three mattresses.
-10 wall clocks for 10 class rooms.
-Additional library books of African background.
-Clothing (enough) for the sponsored children.
-Copy books and other learning materials for the sponsored children.
-Medication for sponsored children.
-Huge sums of money for the repair of the school bus she provided to the school two years ago.
-Irrigation equipments and a two acre piece of land for farming at Kudzra near Kpando.
-A structure for animal husbandry (to be completed).
-Money to complete the plastering of the story building which presently houses the school’s library and the computer lab.
-Money for the evacuation of the existing school’s toilet (KVIP).

VOLUNTEERS:
Within the period in question, two top management staff of Pagus were in the school in October 2008.It was during this visit that the two acre land and the irrigation equipments were donated to the school. Within the same period Pagus brought in two volunteers first and then sixteen others. These dedicated youth from America have offered us the opportunity of mixing with people with a culture other than ours. Their influence was felt at church, on the play ground and on the job. These are experiences nothing can replace. We shall always remember Beth’s psychology lessons that brought out needed qualities of a teacher
The volunteers succeeded in inculcating into the school children the culture of doing something of out of nothing. A piece of paper is folded this way, cut this way and pinned at the other side and quickly something great comes out. We say a big thank you to Pagus. To all the eighteen volunteers we say thank you and God bless you.

P T A:
The period 2008/2009 academic year saw a vibrant PTA. Attendance to meetings were impressive and very regular, a departure from the previous trend. During this period, the association has committed it self to help Pagus provide a bore hole for the school to solve the serious water problem facing the school. They have contributed 700 cedis within this period.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
During the period in question, most decisions were community based. The community has permanent representation in the PTA and in management of the school. It is worth noting that within this period, labour was volunteered by the community for the first time. Thanks to Pagus who plays a leading role in championing community participating and volunteering spirit in the school.

CHALLENGES:
In appraising BFSC one would realized that we are still confronted by a few challenges like
-Provision of bole hole for portable water (Pagus is currently raising funds for it)
- Provision of a water closet WC toilet system.
- A diesel driven bus with efficient and economic fuel consumption.
- Provision of two extra classrooms.
- Provision of a dinning hall.
- controlling virus on our computer system.

In conclusion, the year under review has seen remarkable progress and improvement in infrastructural development, increased enrollment, better academic performance, and greater publicity.
I want to show my appreciation to all and sundry who worked tiredlessly to bring the school to its current status not forgetting Pagus , a very vibrant and dynamic partner in development. I want to thank Ellen Berenholz, who worked tiredlessly everyday, including phone calls to Ghana even at night just to make sure that those kids get a better life and quality education and also to have things done properly.
Miss Ellen Berenholz you are truelly a mother of all and stand tall among your equalls.
Tim, you are really a driving force behind a hard and dedicated working woman . Thank you all and God bless you richly.

Rev. Forson Glover
C.E.O, BFSC.