Assembly spends 454.9 million cedis in sponsorship of students

Bibiani (W/R), Feb.5, GNA - The Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai District Assembly had so far spent 454.9 million cedis in sponsoring students in secondary schools, nursing and teacher training colleges and other tertiary institutions in the country.

Beneficiaries of the sponsorship are made up of 204 teacher-trainees out of which 150 have completed and been posted to various schools, 57 in senior secondary schools, 15 in nursing training and 10 in other tertiary institutions.

Mr Kingsley Adjei-Manu, the District Chief Executive, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Bibiani at the weekend. He said the Assembly since its inauguration in 2002 had provided 100 school blocks in various communities to improve the standard of teaching and learning.

The DCE said five schools in the area had been selected to benefit from the School Feeding Programme and that Kwamekrom Primary School where the programme first started with only 90 pupils now had 240 pupils on roll.

On the capitation grant, Mr Adjei-Manu said statistics showed that before its introduction the total school enrolment was 22,166 but had now risen to 30,319 in the District.

He said the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme registration, which took off in 2005 with 21,824 registered members had tripled as at the end of 2006 and said the scheme had paid over two billion cedis to cover beneficiaries' medical bills.

He said seven communities had been hooked to the national grid through the Self-Help Electrification Programme (SHEP), while boreholes had been constructed for some communities.