A total of 2,500 school children drawn from basic schools in the Nkoranza Municipality in the Brong Agafo Region were feted at this year’s President’s Christmas Party on Friday.

The children were also provided with caps and school bags stuffed with assorted items as their Christmas gifts.

Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, who represented President John Dramani Mahama, said such programmes were organised annually to encourage school children to take their education seriously.

She said there was the need for parents to invest much of their financial resources in their children’s education since that was the best legacy they could bequeath to them.

She reiterated government’s commitment to providing the necessary support towards promotion of education as key for accelerated national development and, therefore, expressed appreciation to teachers for their hard work in educating and training the youth who are the country’s future leaders.

Madam Stella Amoatemaa, Nkoranza Municipal Chief Executive, commended President Mahama for organising the party, the first of its kind in the area.

Madam Amoatemaa advised the pupils and students to learn hard as that was the only way to pursue their education to the highest level to acquire gainful employment for a better life in future.

Mr Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, urged the children to emulate the hard working, committed and patriotic leaders of the nation so that they could also become role models in future.

Miss Sharon Robertson, a student from the Nkoranza Methodist Junior High School, on behalf of the children, pleaded with government to extend the school-feeding programme to all schools in the municipality to benefit basic school children.