The La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly is to institute an annual awards scheme for schools with the highest tree seedlings planting performance in the municipality.
The package, in the form of educational materials and other logistics would be presented to streams, forms and houses within schools who are able to nurture their trees to maturity.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mrs Jennifer Dede Adjabeng made the announcement after leading a team to distribute and plant about 10,000 tree seedlings in the municipality as part of the Green Ghana campaign.
She was accompanied Mr Kwaku Ohene Gyan, Deputy Executive Director in charge of operations at the National Service Secretariat and Mr Paul Appiah Owusu, Director in charge of administration at the National Service Secretariat as well as the staff of the Assembly.
At the Madina one Cluster of Schools, the team planted more than 50 trees, whilst the about 300 species were given to the staff to be distributed to the various classes who would be in charge and the three best streams would be selected and awarded accordingly.
Other basic and senior high schools as well non-governmental organisations, faith based groups, private individuals, driver unions and traders associations were also promised packages, if they are able to take good care of the tree seedlings until maturity.
Mrs Adjabeng urged the public to get involved and buy into government’s vision to sustain and preserve the environment, so as to mitigate the effects of climate change.
She charged residents not to just plant the seedlings but to also ensure that they survive.
She challenged schools to make tree seedlings planting a major part of their extra curriculum activities.
The headteacher of the Cluster One Resource Centre, Mr Bonti Seth assured the MCE of the commitment of the school to mainstay tree seedling planting as a practice as it has come to stay.
He appealed to government to support the school to fence its compound to prevent encroachment and ensure security adding, “Let’s fence the school, it is too open and dangerous”
According to the Municipal Director of Parks and Gardens, Antoinette Enyonam Amegbletor,the exercise which took place within the fifteen electoral areas in the municipality saw schools, churches, NGOs, Assembly staff and the general public joining hands to plant more than 10,000 trees seedlings.
He said the rains disrupted the process and assured that the rest of the 20,000seedlings would be planted within the week.
LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
