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Jomoro MP hands school starter packs to over 1,000 needy SHS entrants

Deputy Transport Minister Dorcas Affo-Toffey says the yearly scheme, now in its sixth round, is here to stay.

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Pinned summary · as of

More than 1,000 students from low-income homes in the Jomoro Constituency of the Western Region have received scholarship packages as they move from junior to senior high school. The items were handed out at Bonyere Junction by Dorcas Affo-Toffey, the area's MP and a Deputy Transport Minister, who says she will keep the programme going.

What we know

  • Ms Affo-Toffey, who represents Jomoro in Parliament and serves as a Deputy Transport Minister, gave out scholarship packages to BECE graduates going on to second-cycle schools; over 1,000 needy students benefited.
  • This was the sixth round of the scheme, which Ms Affo-Toffey started in 2021 before she entered Parliament. It drew pupils from 111 public and private schools in the constituency, and over 600 candidates got similar help in 2025.
  • Packages included mattresses, trunks, mosquito nets, exercise books and chop boxes, and girls, who were the majority, also received sanitary pads.
  • The handover at Bonyere Junction drew parents, chiefs, queen mothers, guests of honour and local party executives.
  • Ms Affo-Toffey described the scheme as an investment in Jomoro's children and said it would continue, with support for whoever succeeds her. She added that watching earlier beneficiaries reach tertiary education keeps her motivated.
  • Jomoro Municipal Chief Executive Benedict Boadi praised the MP's support for education and said school buildings have risen in several communities because of it. He named October the commissioning month for completed projects, including school buildings.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

  • Edith Mary Hagan, the Municipal Director of Education, told the event that September is a hard time for many Jomoro families. She said some pupils arrive with their belongings in sacks or sleep without mattresses, and that hardship sometimes keeps placed students at home. Only Rainbow Radio Online carried these remarks, and they are her description rather than a measured count.
  • Ms Hagan called on the MP's office and the education directorate to track beneficiaries and see how many complete senior high school and sit the WASSCE successfully. No other report mentions the proposal.
  • Awulae Kwasi Armachie III, President of the Western Nzema Traditional Council, was reported by Rainbow Radio Online as saying traditional leaders are satisfied with the MP's contributions, and that anyone wishing to contest her seat should be ready to match her record.

Why it matters for Ghana

For many Jomoro households, the weeks after school placement bring a rush to find bedding, boxes and books for a child heading to boarding school. Help with these items can ease that cost and, according to the municipal education director, may make it easier for placed students to take up their places. The promised October commissioning of school buildings will also matter to families in the municipality's communities.

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