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31.12.2007 General News

Minister Expresses Concern About Poor Performance Of Children In Rural Areas

31.12.2007 LISTEN
By GNA

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Afram-Asiedu has expressed concern about the low performance of some basic schoolsin the region, especially in the rural areas.

The Regional Minister has therefore advised parents, guardians, opinion leaders and all stakeholders to devise ways and means of restricting children from attending social functions such as funerals, dances and video shows which prevented them from learning.

Addressing this year's President's End-of-Year Children's Party at New Abirem in the Birim North District last Friday, Mr Afram-Asiedu said information available to his office from the Department of Children indicated that, there had been an upsurge of video game centres where children spend several hours playing games during school hours without the knowledge of their parents and teachers.

He therefore called on the district assemblies to come out with by-laws that would prohibit the operation of such centres during school hours and at night. This year's party attracted one thousand school children and their teachers drawn from seven districts in the region, including Birim North, Birim South, West Akyem, Kwahu West, Kwahu South, Atiwa and Kwaebibirem Districts.

Mr Afram-Aseidu said the time had come for society to recognize the importance of making adequate provisions for children as they grow into adulthood.

He observed that since the New Patriotic Party government took over the reigns of government nearly seven years ago, a lot of work had been done to ensure a serene political environment suitable for the steady development and welfare of the child and more especially the girl-child.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Nana Acquah Frimpong said the district had embarked upon a programme to ensure that every child of school-going age goes to school.

He said that one way of ensuring this was to see to the elimination of all the worst forms of child labour in the district which hinder children from going to school.

The Member of Parliament for the area and the Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Mrs. Esther Dapaah advised parents to invest more in their children's education.

She urged the children to take their studies seriously, be respectful to their teachers and parents and avoid peer pressure and make the sky their limit.

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