Upper West Best Farmer Honours Promises at Tumu Girls Model School

Nankpa Jibiliru, the 2024 Upper West Regional Best Farmer and a former Best Teacher for the Sissala East Municipality, has honoured three major commitments he made to Tumu Girls Model School, where he is currently teaching English.

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Jibiliru said he identified serious challenges affecting effective teaching and learning shortly after reporting to the school. One of the most pressing issues, he explained, was the lack of reading comprehension materials across the Junior High School, particularly in JHS Three.

“As a teacher of English, I realised that teaching reading comprehension was almost impossible,” he said. “Some classes had insufficient reading materials, while others had none at all. This made proper reading lessons across the entire JHS unattainable.”

To address the situation, he pledged to procure textbooks for the school. He has since supplied 15 reading textbooks and indicated that an additional 20 are expected to arrive soon.

Mr. Jibiliru also fulfilled a promise he made to motivate students ahead of an inter-school quiz competition involving schools within the Tumu township. As a relatively new institution, Tumu Girls Model School had limited recognition and a modest performance record in such competitions.

“I wanted to challenge the girls to believe in themselves and uplift the image of the school,” he said. “I promised them a cash reward of GH¢2,500 if they placed first.”

Following intensive training and preparation, the school emerged winners of the competition, and Mr. Jibiliru promptly honoured his pledge by presenting the cash reward to the students.

In addition, he intervened to resolve a critical water challenge facing the school. The school’s only borehole had broken down, leaving students and staff without a reliable source of water. Given the school’s distance from town and the difficulty of accessing water outside the compound, the situation had become dire. Mr. Jibiliru donated GH¢1,000 towards the repair of the borehole, restoring water supply to the school.

Describing his actions as part of his commitment to education and community development, Mr. Jibiliru said he remains dedicated to making a positive impact wherever he finds himself.

“As a passionate teacher, I will continue to brighten the corner I find myself in,” he said. “I only pray that Allah grants me more so that I can also do more.”

His efforts have been widely commended by students and staff, who say the interventions have significantly improved teaching, learning, and overall morale at Tumu Girls Model School.