Accra, Feb. 6, GNA - A fifty million cedis programme to help public schools in the Adenta constituency to perform well in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) was on Sunday launched with a call on teachers to organize frequent extra classes for students due to take their exams this April.

Mr Kojo Opare Hammond, Member of Parliament for the Adenta, who is the initiator of the programme, said it was disheartening to see pupils in the public school failing their BECE and "this needed urgent attention for its reversal to help the pupils.

The Programme dubbed, "MP's Public School Academic Improvement Programme" is in a short-term designed to help students in JSS 3 who would be writing their papers in April this year to pass.

Among the strategies adopted to make the programme a success are activities that would encourage teachers to organize frequent extra classes for the students, give frequent homework and provide enough books that are needed to enable them pass their examinations. The programme also seeks to provide all the past BECE questions for students to try their hands on.

The MP will also sponsor a mock examination to be taken by all the public schools and institute awards and prizes for students and teachers.

A scholarship scheme would also be put in place for students who excel in the mock and subsequently the BECE. Mr Opare Hammond said a long-term programme where a fund would be set up to cater for the needs of students in the community was being planned.

He explained that the long-term programme would include activities for JSS one and two students in public schools in the community. Pastor Samuel Abbey, Head pastor of the Logos Rhema Church, Adenta Community, launching the fund said the programme would be sustained for many students to benefit.

He said it was in the right direction that churches helped people in their communities.

The Church gave ten million cedis and about one thousand pens and pencils to the Academic Improvement Programme. Nana Apem Darko, Circuit Supervisor of Education in the area, lauded the programme, saying a lot of pupils and teachers in the public schools really needed help in that direction.