Cherryfied Montessori School pupils tour Shai Hills Resources Reserve as part of heritage month

As part of the heritage month, Pupils of Cherryfied Montessori School have paid a visit to the Shai Hills Wildlife Resources Reserve to appreciate and gather first-hand information about the animal, plants and the natural scenery worth of the country.

The visit was part of measures to instill comprehensive knowledge of plants , animals and environment coupled with their array of medicinal values in the learners. In an interview with the Park Manager of the Shai Hills Wildlife Resource Reserve, Mr. Prince Anane Adjei who appealed to parents, guardians, and schools authorities to periodically bring the wards for comprehensive and firsthand information on the elements of the reserve. He said information about the reserve would afford the children the opportunity to learn the botanical or scientific names and benefits of plants and animals whose names have been carefully inscribed on them.

He made the call stressing the need for parents to come with their children to be abreast themselves with the plants and animals' worth of the country. He disclosed that the services offered by his outfit are tailored towards providing comprehensive education on the natural resources worth of the country and how to navigate its uses to a larger benefit. Assuring the learners of what to expect, he said the reserve plays host to a museum that houses the National Heritage and Culture where artifacts of certain prominent animals and plant species in the country are kept. In view of that, Mr. Anane noted that his outfit has liaised with a number of media outlets to give publicity.

He said the target groups per their data, will be schools, churches, youth groups in order to know much about the forest. "One of the lessons we have learnt is when covid came in where non-nationa tourists were locked up, visitors we were receiving were all locals", he reflected. He said this calls for measures to sensitize the Ghanaians on the benefits of engaging in visits of that kind. On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of Cherryfied Montessori School, Madam Magdalene Dzifa Adzanu who premised her admonition on the saying, " catch them young and they shall be yours for ever", saying her outfit has instituted a measure which will enable the school visit a tourist centre at least once in a term. This, she said will enable learners experience the practicalities of the theories learnt in the classroom. Madam Dzanu observed that children appreciate what they see and it stays longer than what is said. She said as part of the move to visit most of the tourist sites, they will get to know regions and towns that harbour the place of attraction. "Obviously, most children do not know where a particular town is located in a region therefore visits of that kind will uncover those places to them", Madam Dzanu said. In conclusion, Madam Magdalene Dzanu made a clarion call to the Minister of Education, Honourable Yaw Osei Adutwum as well as proprietors, proprietress and education stakeholders to institute and inculcate educational trips into the academic calendar. This,according to her, will enable the children learn much about places of attraction across the country and their locations. . . Shai Hills Resource Reserve is located at Doryumu in the Shai Osudoku District within the Greater Accra Region. Established in 1962 covering an area of 47 square kilometres (4,700 ha; 18 sq mi) which was later extended to 51 square kilometres (5,100 ha; 20 sq mi) in 1973. The tour which came off last Thursday, 2nd March 2023, was to enable the children from the lower and upper primary of the school get to feel and experience nature at the reserve. The Shai hills reserve has animals and natural scenery of hills which the children had the opportunity to see. With the help of a tour guard, the children were taken round the reserve to see monkeys, antelopes, ostrich, snakes and zebra. They also climbed the hills with the help of a rope to reach the top of it. This Children got very excited at the top of the hill as it offered the opportunity to see the reserve from the top of the hill. The tour also took them to the meseum of natural and cultural heritage where they were taken through some historical events that took place in the reserve. They were given the opportunity to see artifacts and species of animals, photographs of some prominent animals, and some educational materials.