In an ambitious move to regain her lost formal educational glory, the Cape Coast Education Fund (CCEF) has finally been launched in Cape Coast at the weekend, to achieve this goal among the current and future generations.
Speaking the launch the CCEF Administrator, Mrs. Georgina Quaisie, said the CCEF had planned to mobilise GHÂÂ¢4 million in the next five years on its education activities in the metropolis.
She hinted that targeted donors include people and friends of Cape Coast, citizens in the diaspora, corporate bodies and organisations, old students of Cape Coast schools, development partners, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), philanthropists, hoteliers and business magnates.
According to her, the objective of setting up of the fund was to support and encourage some parents to give maximum support to their children to aim high and stay in school.
It is also to address the poor academic performance of pupils at the basic school level, as well as high poverty levels due to the non-availability of sustainable high performing economic and industrial activities that could provide employment to support families in communities.
She said any donor could deposit donations into the Cape Coast National Investment Bank Account No.100-10004832-01, while she could be contacted on her mobile phone numbers 0244623910 and 0200167239.
Speaking at the same function, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, Professor Anamuah Mensah, called on Cape Coasters to put all hands on deck to rebuild the "Cape Coast Wall," so as the regain its past glory of being the cradle of education that produced prominent personalities like Kobina Sekyi and John Mensah Sarbah among others.
"It is time for politicians, businessmen and women, and academia to come together and address the ills of education in Cape Coast," he said.
He explained that the current situation in the basic schools do not augur well for the metropolis, which was ranked 93 among 115 districts.
According Prof Anamuah Mensah, the launch of the CCEF serves as a wake -up call for the inhabitants of Cape Coast to contribute to the fund to prevent the city's education standards from slipping further, adding, "This is the time for every Cape Coast indigene to stand up to be counted."
He, therefore, called on the administrators of the fund to ensure the effective monitoring of beneficiaries, so that the money spent on them does not go waste.
A former Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss, Nana Brew Butler, who launched the fund, donated GHÂÂ¢100,000, while a USA-based Cape Coaster, Uncle Wilson, also donated US$10,000.
The Member of Parliament for Cape Coast, Ebo Barton Odro, and Mr. William Dubois of Western Group of Companies, donated GHÂÂ¢5,000 each to the fund, while Mrs. Quaisie and Bo Amissah presented GHÂÂ¢1,000 each, with the Efutu Senior High School (SHS) contributing GHÂÂ¢100 as their widow's mite for the sustenance of the fund.
Part of the funds would be used to rehabilitate basic school buildings such as St. Monica Girls, Mensah Sarbah, Pedu Metropolitan Assembly School and Cherubim and Seraphim School.