Samuel Nartey, the Headmaster of Christ the King School in Donkorkrom in the Prestea-Huni Valley District of the Western Region, has resigned in order to fully engage in illegal small-scale business (Galamsey).
He stated that he chose galamsey because he could not raise the necessary funds as headmaster to support his wife and children.
“I stopped teaching due to financial constraints.” “I decided to quit going into galamsey because I could get money to feed my wife and children because I was being paid 500,” he told TV3’s Eric Yaw Adjei in an interview.
Noah Fiakodzie, one of his teachers who worked at the school for a year, also left due to low pay.
Mr Fiakedzie stated that he used to earn $200 per month as a teacher, but now earns $300 per day from galamsey.
Though he enjoys teaching, he believes galamsey provides him with the best opportunity to make ends meet.
“I only stopped teaching a year ago,” he explained. I used to make $200 per day teaching, but I quit to do galamsey, and by the grace of God, I now make $300 per day.”
This comes at a time when the government is attempting to combat the galamsey threat due to the effects it has on water bodies and the environment in general.
The cost of treating water by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has risen from 7000 per day to 80,000 per day as a result of the impact of illegal small-scale mining, according to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Also read: Chiefs are contributing to the galamsey problem – Asantehene
This provides a strong foundation for increasing efforts to combat galamsey through collaboration, he said.
On Monday, October 17, during a tour of the Ashanti Region, Mr Akufo-Addo stated, “I am particularly concerned about the danger to the water source, because for example [in Konongo], because of the galamsey phenomenon, the cost of producing water by the GWCL has gone up from 7000 Cedis per day to now, 80,000 Cedis per day.” It is clear that we must all work together to put an end to this galamsey menace.”
Earlier, the President stated that his administration’s fight against galamsey is unprecedented.
On Sunday, he told Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace.
“No government has demonstrated a greater commitment to the fight against galamsey than my government,” he emphasised.
President Akufo-Addo made the remarks on the first day of his four-day tour of the Ashanti Region.
He is expected to inspect the progress of work at the Boankra integrated logistics terminal, also known as the Boankra inland port.
In addition, he will inspect the Agenda 111 project at Kokoben.
Source: 3news.com
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