Winneba, (C/R) May 13, GNA - Participants at the third Effutu Municipal Education Annual Performance Review Programme have appealed to the government and philanthropists to provide infrastructure to help solve over-crowding in some basic schools in the Municipality. According to them, most of the schools in the area had between 50 and 80 pupils in a class, a situation they described as "not helping to promote teaching and learning."

They also identified that high poverty rate had resulted in common parental neglect, broken homes, child labour and child trafficking. Some of these issues, they said, if properly addressed, would help the children to acquire quality education.

The participants, made up of traditional rulers, assembly members, head- teachers, members of civil society organization, circuit supervisors, opinion leaders, and heads of department of the Municipality, met at Winneba.

The theme for programme was: "Quality Teaching and Learning - The Role of the Stakeholder." It was aimed at ensuring that all stakeholders in education played their part towards quality education in the Effutu Municipality.

Nii Ephraim Effutu, Municipal Chief Executive, who chaired the programme, said the Assembly had under the NDC administration, constructed four four-unit school blocks in the area. He said additional four six-unit classroom blocks had been awarded on contract and work would begin by the end of June. He urged the people to use their resources on the education of their children instead of spending them on things that would neither benefit them nor their children. Opening the programme, the Effutu Municipal Director of Education, Mrs Elizabeth Amoah Enimil, said there are 17 public and 30 private pre-schools, 19 Public and 30 private primary schools, 16 public and 10 private Junior High and one public and six private Senior High Schools in the Municipality.

He said to improve the performance of children in the area, the Assembly in collaboration with the Education Office, organised mock examinations to prepare candidates for the just ended BECE. Mrs Enimil said if pupils were motivated to learn, teachers motivated to teach and community members encouraged to be part of the educational process, it would go a long way to ensure improvement in the provision of quality education. 13 May 10