Koforidua, May 22, GNA - About 6,600 teachers out of the 25,020 teachers in the Eastern Region representing 26.5 per cent are untrained, Mr Kwadwo Affram- Asiedu, Eastern Regional Minister announced on Thursday.

He said the situation was worrying because most of the untrained teachers were found in the Kindergarten, Primary and Junior High Schools which needed qualified teachers to ensure a good foundation. Mr Affram-Asiedu therefore urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Region to sponsor teacher trainees into training colleges to help redress the situation.

He said beneficiaries under the scheme should be bonded to return to teach in their respective benefactor districts after completion as part of the contractual agreement.

Mr Affram-Asiedu was addressing the Eastern Regional Meet the Press series in Koforidua.

He noted that the situation was as a result of the Region's inability to attract qualified or trained teachers to the area and said despite that there had been significant increase in enrolment at all the educational levels.

On the perennial water crisis confronting Koforidua Municipality and its environs, Mr Affram-Asiedu said with the construction of a 35 million euro water system at Bukunor in the Yilo-Krobo District, the situation would improve soon.

He explained that the water system when completed would supply at least four million gallons of water daily to consumers. On the activities of Fulani herdsmen that posed a threat to security in the Region, Mr Affram-Asiedu said despite numerous initiatives such as the 'operation cowleg' embarked upon by the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council, the problem still persisted. However, he said all the affected district assemblies had been tasked to implement a Cabinet proposal that included the demarcation of designated areas for the headsmen to operate and their registration for easy identification.

Mr Frank Agyekum, Deputy Minister for Information and National Orientation, said price hikes in foodstuffs was a global issue but notwithstanding that government was determined to institute measures to mitigate suffering of the people. He therefore, called on the people to have confidence in the government and support its policies and programmes because the country had a bright future.