Hohoe Municipal Assembly to assists deprived children

Tafi-Agome (V/R), Dec. 10, GNA- The Hohoe Municipal Assembly is to enact a bylaw to prosecute people who deny children from having formal education.

The move is to deter people especially parents who engage their children and others of school going age in economic activities instead of sending them to school. Mr E. Kwami Avega Kamabla, Presiding Member (PM) of the Assembly announced this at this year's Youth Day celebration of the Chiefs, Elders and people of Tafi-Agome on Saturday. The occasion, which was also used to commission a three-unit classroom block with an office and a store worth over GH=A218,000 for the community. The theme for the occasion was " Good health, first step towards life". Mr Avega Kamabla, who delivered a speech on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive, said the decision had become necessary due to the high number of children who were out of school and involved in economic activities.

He said for example that, about 60 to 70 per cent of children of school going age at Tafi-Agome were out of school and rather engaged in kente weaving, either for their parents or guardians. Mr Avega Kamabla said education was the key to poverty reduction and called on opinion leaders in the area to ensure that all children of school going age were in school. He urged them to take advantage of government's intervention in the education sector to send their children to school. Mr Stephen Ahlidzi, Circuit Supervisor of the area who represented the Municipal Director of Education, described the performance of the schools in the area in the last Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) as abysmal.

He said no student qualified for Senior High School in the area and attributed the situation to the lack of cooperation between teachers and parents.

Togbe Afare VIII, Chief of the town urged the youth to involve themselves in activities that would help promote education in the area. Mr Dela Adjenti, President of Tafi Agome Youth Association (TAYA) commended Mr Joseph Amenowode, Member of Parliament (MP) for Hohoe South and the Municipal Assembly for supporting the community to build a kindergarten.

He said the community would make good use of the facility and appealed to other benevolent organizations to support with furniture and other learning materials. Mr Adjenti mentioned the building of a community centre, modern health centre and nurses quarters as other projects being considered by the youth and urged all to remain committed to the cause. 10 Dec. 07