Schooling under trees, sheds to end in Techiman

Techiman (BAR), May 9, GNA - Schooling under trees and sheds is to end for basic school pupils in the Techiman Municipality by the beginning of the 2010/2011 academic year.

This follows the completion of three and six unit classroom blocks with library and kindergarten facilities for 13 communities in the municipality. Mr Alex Kofi Kyeremeh, Municipal Chief Executive, who made this known at the weekend said the facilities were being provided for localities with either broken down or deplorable school blocks, which posed a threat to the security of the pupils.

Mr Kyeremeh, was speaking to the Ghana News Agency when he led Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development to inspect the projects.

The Deputy Minister is in the Brong Ahafo Region to familiarise himself with the activities of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies (MMDA's) and to inspect on-going development projects. Mr Kyeremeh said the projects, located in communities such as Mallam Imam, Tuobodom, Bayemere, Krobo, Adutwie, Nkraku amongst others, were initiated early this year and completed within three months, making residents to christen them as 'operation three months'.

He said the move was in fulfilment of the government's Better Ghana Agenda to ensure that every child studied under a decent environment. Throughout the region, there is massive on-going educational infrastructural development in most of the MMDA's, notably Atebubu-Amanten, Pru, Sene, Nkoranza South districts. Aside the educational sector, water provision, hospital refurbishment, income generating projects amongst others were also high on the agenda of the assemblies.

Mr Afriyie Ankrah expressed happiness about the projects and commended the chief executives for their hard work. He urged them to move towards initiating more economic activity projects that would generate income and improve and sustain the livelihood of the people.

Later at a meeting with Heads of Department and assembly members of the Techiman Municipal Assembly, Mr Afriyie Ankrah answered questions on a broad-range of government policies including the free fertiliser distribution to farmers, decentralisation and welfare of assembly members amongst others.

He challenged the MMDA's to improve on revenue mobilisation to enable them gather enough funds to support their development activities. He urged them to put in place mechanisms to prevent misappropriation and thievery by revenue collectors and other people in the chain, saying such actions made the debt levels of some of the assemblies to quadruple in 2008.

The minister said the huge debt portfolio is posing a serious challenge to the current administration to solve. He expressed disquiet that the MMDA's, who are responsible for every development activity in their localities, received low funding from government and advocated an increase of the District Assemblies' Common Fund from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent.

On decentralisation, Mr Afriyie Ankrah challenged the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana and assembly members to make insightful inputs into the on-going national consultation on reforms of the country's decentralisation system, which had been operational for more than 20 years.

Mr Afriyie Ankrah used his tour to pay courtesy calls on the Omanhene of Atebubu; Nana Owusu Achiaw Berempong II, Omanhene of Prang; Nana Kwadwo Nyarko III, Paramount Chief of Yeji, Pemapem Yaw Kabgrise IV and Omanhene of Nkoranza, Okatakye Agyeman Kudom IV. The traditional leaders renewed their support and confidence in President John Evans Atta Mills and the government to implement the Better Ghana Agenda for the benefit of all.