MCE DISTRIBUTES FREE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA EXERCISE BOOKS TO SCHOOLS IN THE SUNYANI MUNICIPALITY

The Municipal Chief executive (MCE) for Sunyani Hon. Kwasi Oppong Ababio has on behalf of the President of Ghana, His Excellency John Evans Atta Mills successfully finished distributing all the 62,520 free Government of Ghana Exercise books and 4,684 Graph books allocated to the Sunyani Municipality by the Ghana Education Service to schools in the municipality. For easy distribution of the books, the Municipal Assembly divided the municipality into four (4) zones which were Atronie, Abesim, Kootokrom and Sunyani town. Schools, in all these zones converged at the centre where the symbolic distribution was done by the MCE to Madam Phillipa Banson a representative of the Municipal Director of Education. Madam Phillipa Banson with the help of the Municipal Co-Ordinating Director Mr. Gyamfi Ameyaw, Assembly members and Chiefs in those areas also in turn did the symbolic hand over to the heads of these schools for distribution to the children. The books were distributed based on the enrolment of the schools. So the more the number of pupils in a school, the more the number of books received and vice versa.

In all these places one important message runs through the speeches delivered by the MCE Hon. Kwasi Oppong Ababio. He reiterated that, the NDC manifesto, pledge to invest in people is on course. He explained “investing in people does not necessary mean dolling out money to people, but helping them to acquire the necessary skills so as to be able to fend for themselves for the

”.rest of their lives”. He added that is why the NDC under the able leadership of His Excellency John Evans Atta Mills deem it prudent to invest in these little school children by supplying them free exercise books and uniforms to help the needy ones among them to also acquire knowledge so that they can fend for themselves in the future”. He continued, the NDC government by supplying these free exercise books and uniforms to school children, increasing capitation grant, expanding school feeding programme is helping parents to make some savings to be used in other important ventures which will better their lives saying “that, also amounts to investing in people

He appealed to parents to compliment government`s efforts by providing the other needs of their wards so that, the children could be given a good education. He appealed to teachers to make sure the books get to the children and that not even a leaflet gets to the market for sale warning

“any teacher found culpable will de dealt with drastically”. He also advised the school children to shun all social vices and take advantage of this good government initiative to develop themselves into useful adults.

At Abesim in particular, the MCE who hails from the town complained bitterly about poor BECE results that has been produced in the town in recent years and attributed it to low supervisory on the part of parents on their children`s education. He wondered “if people like my name sake Mr. Kwasi Oppong at SSB in Accra and me studied here even under bad conditions

and we were able to make it why not you who have electricity and other facilities at your disposal”? He appealed to the school children, parents and teachers to make sure the trend is changed. At the same Abesim, the Municipal Co-Ordinating Director of the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, Mr.Gyamfi Ameyaw complained about the usage of mobile phones by school pupils and said it does not help in any serious academic endeavour for young school children like Primary and JHS levels to be using them saying “it rather encourages social vices”. Mr. Gyamfi Ameyaw said this because he had collected a mobile phone from one of the school pupil who was making a call with it as the MCE was delivering his address. Later in the day the MCE commissioned an ultra modern 20 seater KVIP for the people of Abesim to the admiration of the chiefs and people of the area

Mrs. Phillipa Bason who represented the Municipal Director of Education was full of praise for President Mills for not reneging on his promise but delivering on it on time. The whole exercise was very successful, but what was amazing is that parents whom government is helping did not turn up as expected in most of the places we visited. The MCE expressed concern about this situation and advised parents to be appreciative of what the government is doing to help them.