All the 16 candidates of the Junior Secondary School (JSS) at Konoma in the Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma District of Ashanti failed in the 2001 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).

Mr Stephen Gerrar, an Assistant Director of Education in charge of Human Resource Management and Development at the District Education Directorate, said only a few out of the 21 candidates presented the previous year passed.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Board of Governors for the Konkoma Integrated Community Centre for Employable Skills (ICCES) on Thursday, Mr Gerrar called on parents to stop spending too much of their resources on funerals and instead invest the money in their children's education.

He said the involvement of parents in the education of their children would ensure that they had a bright future and become responsible citizens.

Nana K. Boateng Donkor, Ashanti Regional Co-ordinator of ICCES, said the government had decided to employ qualified mangers and instructors for all the 66 centres in the country.

He, therefore, called on parents to send their children to the ICCES to pursue courses that would make them employable.

Nana Sarpong Ababio, Chief of Konkoma, said it was established in 1987 through the efforts of the then National Mobilisation Programme (NMP) and commended the district assembly for assisting in its establishment.

The nine-member Board of Governors has Nana Fordjour Ababio, Krontihene of Konkoma as its chairman.