Ekoso (E/R), Dec. 6, GNA- The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Afram-Asiedu has inaugurated a six-classroom block for the Presbyterian Primary School at Ekoso, near Asamankese in the West Akyem District at the cost of 853 million cedis. He said the government was particularly concerned about education in the rural areas so that it does not lack behind that of the urban centres.

Facilities were therefore being provided for conducive teaching and learning and expressed the hope that parents would reciprocate the gesture by providing their wards needs to improve themselves academically.

The Regional Minister urged the people to take good care of the new building and advised those who had not yet joined the National Health Insurance Scheme to do so to access quality health care. The District Chief Executive, Mr Kwabena Sintim-Aboagye deplored the poor results of schools in the district at this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination. He said out of the 2,662 pupils who sat for the examination in 2007, only 1,041 passed, representing 40.4 per cent and 10 schools scored zero per cent. Mr Sintim-Aboagye said the District Assembly was taking steps to arrest the situation and hoped parents; teachers and all stakeholders would work to ensure the situation is reversed. Mr Sintim-Aboagye said it had been observed, for instance that many teachers do not live in the communities where they teach and so visit their school twice or thrice a week. In a speech read for him, the District Director of Education, Rev. Emmanuel Antwi, observed that a new school block would not necessarily improve education, if teachers do not commit themselves to their work as well as parents not showing interest in their wards education. He regretted that, since the introduction of the Capitation grant, many parents had been shirking their responsibilities towards their wards and that should change for the better. Meanwhile, the Regional Minister's on Tuesday visited the premises of Pinoral Limited, a Company, which processes pineapple and oranges juice into concentrates for export. He also inspected work on a 2.7 billion-cedi bridge over River Ayensu, which links Okotokrom to a number of communities in the district. 06 Dec. 07