The Weekend Statesman

"Is Rawlings sick?" asks the Weekend Statesman in a second front -page story. The paper asserts that President Rawlings cut a pathetic figure of himself yesterday during his sessional address and increased speculations about his state of health for which immediate remedial measures need to be taken.

The president, who the paper claims has reduced in weight, cut such an unpresidential image of himself that left his NDC MPs, Ministers and State Officials sitting on tenterhooks throughout his delivery.

It said the President was constantly fidgeting with the microphones even when there was no need to and sweated so much in the fully air-conditioned chamber that he had to make do with two handkerchiefs which were placed in front of him with his pair of spectacles in between.

According to the paper, the president drew further attention to his state of mind when he left his sunshades behind while leaving his seat and had to be chased with it.

In a back-page story in the same paper headlined: "PTA clashes with proprietress." The paper reports that the Parent -Teacher Association of Ridge International in Takoradi and the Proprietress of the school, Mrs. Rose Ansah are at each others throat following disagreement over increase in school fees.

Whiles the PTA contends that it will pay nothing more than the 58,500.00 cedis per child as approved by the Ghana Education Service, the proprietress also maintains that it will charge an additional 10,000.00 cedis. Miscellaneous fees, which was 8,500 cedis since the beginning of this academic year has been increased to 23,000 cedis for pupil in the primary level and 32,000 for JSS students and 5,500 cedis for snacks.