Success of the nation depends on education -Kufuor

Offinso (Ash), Nov.26, GNA-President John Agyekum Kufuor has stated that, the success and development of the nation depend greatly on the education of its people.

He has therefore called on all Ghanaians, especially parents to endeavour to invest in the education of their children. President Kufuor, who was addressing a durbar of chiefs and people of Offinso Traditional Area to climax their week-long Mmoaninko Festival at Offinso on Saturday said the acquisition of knowledge formed the basis of offering employment to people.

He said but for education, do you think Kofi Annan would have been elected as General Secretary of the United Nations, he queried. The celebration was under the theme, "Quality Education for Better Health, Environment and Rapid Progress". He said there was the need for people to ensure peace and understanding and eschew lawlessness and anarchy. President Kufuor appealed to the chiefs to release land to people who want to venture into farming so that they contribute meaningfully to the development of the country.

He said the government would continue to support the development of the area, adding that the Dwamena Akenten Secondary school would be made a model school, while other development projects like roads, both highway and feeder roads would continue to receive the attention from the government.

He thanked Offinsohene and the people for voting for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to win the recent by-election in the area that brought Dr.Owusu Achaw Duah as the new Member of Parliament (MP) for the area after the death of Mr Kwabena Sarfo.

President Kufuor donated 50 million cedis towards the celebration of the Festival which was meant to raise funds to support the development of the area Nana Wiafe Akenten III, Paramount chief of Offinso Traditional Area said the festival was a treasure and a gift of victory for the people of Offinso and it recalls the good deeds of the heroism of nana Wiafe Akenten in the second Dormaa and Ashanti war.

He said it was also to portray the unity of purpose of the people in the area and also to afford them the opportunity to take stock of the achievements of the Traditional Authorities and the Offinso District Assembly

He indicated that the celebration of the festival has been used to award scholarships to 150 students who are now pursuing their Masters Degree programmes in various disciplines in the nation's Universities. He said proceeds from the current celebration would be used to expand the scholarship scheme to cover boys entering Senior Secondary schools and tertiary institutions as against girls only which was hitherto the case and persons undergoing vocational training programmes.

He said the week-long celebration has been used to educate the people on the need to ending unnecessary invocation of curses which had brought untold hardships and deaths to some people and their families and to reduce funeral expenses in the area.

Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, Paramount Chief of Bechem, who represented Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene underscored the importance of education and good health and called on the people to take advantage of the Government's Capitation grant and send their children to school.