As part of his activities to celebrate the 63rd Independence day celebration in Kumasi, President Nana Addo did not only attend to his duties at the Kumasi stadium alone.
On Saturday, March 7, he joined the students of Opoku Ware SHS to celebrate their 68th speech and prize-giving day.
One of the amazing stories that happened during the President’s visit to the school was when he had the opportunity to donate cash and wheelchair to a student who has been disabled all his life.
The MC of the event, Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng provided the context as to how it all happened and it is truly a remarkable story of humanity.
This young Form One student at Owass was born disabled. After his mother had another disabled child, their father bolted.
His mother sells tomatoes on a table in Aburaso in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region and has struggled to bring up her kids by herself. The boy had aggregate 8 at last year’s BECE and was placed in his first choice school, OWASS.
His best friend has been wheeling him around for many years, and gained admission alongside his friend. He continues to wheel him dutifully on campus and today he did the honours of wheeling him down the red carpet to see the President.
Clearly but for the Free SHS policy this boy’s dreams would have ended because there is no way his mother could have afforded to pay his admission fee and subsequent fees.
A Katakyie in the US donated a new wheelchair and an amount of GHS1000 to the boy when he heard his story, and yesterday at our 68th anniversary speech day, he was brought face to face with the President, who presented the wheelchair and the cash on behalf of the said Katakyie. The mother could not hold back her tears and every single person in the quadrangle was moved.
As MC I had to struggle to keep my voice even as I narrated the boy’s story. The President gave him a few private words of encouragement and he and his teary mother expressed their appreciation to him for the policy.
Folks, away from the political back and forth and propaganda, and in spite of all its challenges, these are lives the FSHS programme is touching in a real positive way.
Free SHS is changing lives indeed.