Jacobu (Ash), Feb 29, GNA - The Amansie Central District Assembly has within three years put-up 38 classroom blocks and offered scholarships to 165 students in tertiary institutions. Mr. Osei Assibey-Antwi, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, said the assembly is also sponsoring 310 untrained teachers to upgrade themselves under the Untrained Teacher Training Diploma in Basic Education (UTTBE) programme.

Mr. Assibey-Antwi was speaking at the 2007 Annual Basic Schools Awards ceremony of the district at Jacobu on Thursday to award pupils and schools for their exceptional performances in the BECE and other activities. Prizes worth over 2,000 Ghana cedis were awarded to pupils who performed well in the 2007 BECE while schools that achieved academic excellence were also honoured.

Master Clement Yaw Kyei of Jacobu Roman Catholic Junior High School (JHS) was adjudged the best student in the BECE and Master Kyei Baffour of Tweapease JHS was the best in Mathematics. Mr. Akwasi Gyamfi, the Odotobiri Member of Parliament, expressed displeasure at the indecent residential accommodation of some teachers in the deprived rural communities and said efforts were being made by the assembly to address the problem. The excellent academic performance of the District in the 2007 BECE, he said, would be meaningless if parents refused to encourage their students to continue their education to senior high schools. Mrs. Janet T. Appiah-Nkansah, the District Director of Education, said the district placed third with 86.72 per cent in the 2007 BECE National ranking and placed second in the Ashanti Region. Mrs. Appiah-Nkansah urged parents and teachers to inculcate reading habits into the children to improve their skills and proficiency in the languages. The Directo r said school children should be educated on the need to maintain personal hygiene and sound environmental sanitation to promote healthy disease-free environment for effective teaching and learning. Mrs. Rosina Turkson, Assistant Headmistress of Asante Bekwai Wesley High School who presided reiterated the importance of reading among pupils adding, "when children are able to express themselves well on paper they get the confidence to perform well in examinations."