Nkoranza (B/A) Aug 2, GNA - An Educationist has commended the government for providing 780 million cedis towards the improvement of education in the Nkoranza District under the Pilot Programmatic Scheme (PPS). Mr Kwabena Agyeman-Badu, Nkoranza District Director of Education was speaking at a meeting of staff of the Directorate at Nkoranza at the weekend, to educate them on the five-year fee-free scheme, designed for 40 deprived districts throughout the country.
Under the government and World Bank programme, the bank is offering financial support to make education in those districts affordable to ensure that all children of school-going age are enrolled and retained in school. In the Brong-Ahafo Region, Wenchi, Nkoranza, Sene and Atebubu Education Directorates have been selected to benefit from the project.
Mr Agyeman-Badu said the programme was aimed at ensuring 100 per cent enrolment and retention of children of school going age. He said a programme has been drawn under the scheme to ensure improvement in the standard of education in the district. Mr Agyeman-Badu said about 1,300 needy school children would be provided with school uniforms, exercise books, school bags and other educational materials to encourage them to remain in the classroom. He said Circuit Supervisors would be provided with motorbikes to facilitate their visits to the schools to ensure that teachers worked assiduously.
Mr Agyeman-Badu said next year the registration fees of all junior secondary school final year students in the district would be paid under the PPS initiative and no student in the district would pay fees for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for five continuous years.