Andy Esiet,! Calabar
A United Kingdom (UK) based organization, The Calabar Forum, has uplifted education in Cross River state with donation of books, WAEC examination fees and others worth millions of Naira.
To date the forum has made donations of various educational items to schools and students in Bishop King Memorial Primary School, Convent Primary school,
St Marys Primary school,. Government Primary School Anantiga and Government Secondary school Anantiga, all in Calabar and over 5, 000 students have benefited.
Latest in the list of beneficiaries is
Duke Town Secondary School, Calabar where text books were donated to all the final year students of the school and WAEC fees paid to Calabar students.
While making the presentation today, February 22 before a large crowd of enthusiastic students of the school, the President of the Forum, Engr. Mkpang Coco-Bassey said the Forum is focused on helping in different sections of the economy, especially education hence “we put money together and support the education sector in the state” .
He said, “I came specially to encourage the children that you can be great. If you study your books and listen to your teachers and parents you will be great. I know some of you go back and help your parents at home but sacrifice and study hard. I am a product of public school. I used to walk miles to school but today I am enjoying the reward of hard work and sacrifice”.
Coco-Bassey who was a governorship aspirant in the last People Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in the state, said the donation from the Forum is non political and gave the assurance that the Forum “will engage with the principal and see your needs for future intervention for both parents and students to ensure good education as the reward for teachers is not in heaven but here on earth. Calabar forum is a charitable organizations and we will work hard to impact on you. This is the medium to encourage the children” .
The Principal of the school, Mrs Affiong Edet Volunteer was full of praises for Coco-Bassey saying with this kind gesture, he is encouraging students to study their books and listen to their teachers and take their destination into their hands. He also encourage the teachers by letting them know that that his own mother is the product of a dedicated teacher.
She said “the assistance to us is awesome and we are always very excited when we are remembered, considering our location most people will prefer to go to the schools inside the town. So for him to think of us and come here to intervene means a lot to us because some of the students could not register for the WAEC examination but due to his intervention through the Forum, such students have been given hope and they are back in school ” .
Mrs Volunteer who charged other well meaning individuals and organizations to emulate the good work of Engr Coco-Bassey and the Forum prayed for more God’s blessings for him saying, “as you invest in other people’s children, God will pay you back with successful children…We are grateful for the impact this intervention will do for the students and you have promised to do more not only for the students but the teachers aswell”.
A parent of one of the beneficiaries, Etinyin Effanga Eyo Ita from Creek Town, an Adviser in the Etubom Traditional Council thanked the donor for his kind gesture saying “God will bless and raise him to a higher position as his assistance to us came at this hard times which we did not expect but God made him to have the love for us and made us smile, God will bless him” .
Another parent of a beneficiary, Mrs Matilda Are was full of joy for the donation from the Forum and said, “we thank God for a wonderful man like this to remember the less privileged like us and and at the same time giving words of encouragement to the children that as they are here if the study hard they will climb higher in life using himself as an example.
“I pray for more God’s blessings for him and for the children, they should not allow the effort of Engr Coco-Bassey to be in vain and they will continue to make him proud and for we the parents we are very happy. The gesture has really helped me as a parent because I was already calculating and thinking on how I will get money to complete my daughter’s WAEC fees but I was surprised when the principal called me and announced the donation from the Forum. In fact it was part of the money I used to buy JAMB form for her to further her education” .
