Captain Tawo Donates Learning Materials as Etung Schools Decry Poor Infrastructure
By Missang Akpet
Distinguished airline captain and Etung-born philanthropist, Captain Edim Tawo, has donated educational materials to government-owned schools across the 10 political wards of Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State, while school administrators have appealed for urgent intervention to address deteriorating infrastructure threatening effective teaching and learning in the area.
The educational materials, donated to support indigent students and improve access to learning resources, were distributed to beneficiary schools across the 10 wards by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bendeghe Ekiem Ward, Comrade Atu Alfred, on behalf of the donor.
Captain Tawo described the donation as the first phase of a carefully planned intervention programme to improve secondary education in Etung, assuring the students that further support would follow. He urged them to remain committed to their studies despite the challenges confronting their schools, stressing the importance of education in securing a better future.
Tawo, who hails from Bendeghe Ekiem in Etung LGA, was a frontline aspirant for the Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency seat during the recent APC primary elections.
While appreciating the gesture, the Principal of Etung Comprehensive Secondary School, Mrs. Gladys Ikem, described the donation as a welcome intervention and thanked the donor for recognising the needs of the institution and extending the educational support to its students.
“We are very grateful to Captain Edim Tawo, who found this school worthy of benefiting from his kind gesture. He recognised our school and ensured that our students benefited from the educational materials distributed to schools. We say thank you,” she said.
Beyond the immediate relief provided by the donation, however, Mrs. Ikem drew attention to the deplorable condition of the school’s facilities, appealing to Captain Tawo to extend his support to infrastructure development. She disclosed that the principal’s office was in a dilapidated state and suffered flooding whenever it rained, highlighting the difficult conditions under which school administrators and teachers operate.
The principal explained that the school had made efforts to address some of its challenges but lacked the resources required to restore its facilities. She appealed to Tawo to consider undertaking one or two projects at the school, expressing hope that such assistance would help create a safer and more conducive environment for teaching and learning.
Similarly, the Vice Principal of Government Technical College, Ajassor, Mrs. Oyangha Abong, commended Tawo for including the institution among the beneficiaries, describing the donation as an investment in the future of the students.
“On behalf of the principal, staff and entire students of this school, we say a big thank you to Captain Tawo for choosing this school as one of those to benefit from his support. It is not easy. The best thing he has done is to sow a seed in education,” Abong said.
She expressed optimism that the educational materials would encourage students to take their studies seriously and inspire them to pursue their ambitions. She also urged the donor to consider the physical conditions of the schools during subsequent visits, noting that the state of school facilities and learning environments remained a concern that required attention.
The appeals by the school administrators highlight the infrastructure deficit confronting public education in Etung, where the provision of learning materials, though important, must be complemented by the rehabilitation of dilapidated buildings and the improvement of basic school facilities to enhance teaching and learning.
