Anum (E/R), Jan. 15, GNA - The Asuogyaman District Director of Education, Miss Clothilda Amenga-Etego, has denounced threats and other negative behaviour by some people in the area towards teachers, which affected the development of education there.

She said such attitude could undermine efforts being made by authorities to attract qualified teachers to the district. Miss Amenga-Etego was responding to sentiments expressed by some questioners at the turn of Asuogyaman District of the People's Assembly at Anum in the Eastern Region on Wednesday.

The questioners said they wondered why some communities lacked the requisite number of teachers to enhance teaching and learning in the area.

Miss Amenga-Etego said 38 vacancies for teachers existed in basic schools in the district adding that filling of those vacancies would depend on the co-operation the Ghana Education Service received from affected communities.

She regretted that some communities had become so hostile to education personnel that it was becoming increasingly difficult for administrators to post teachers there.

Miss Amengo-Etgo cited the recent incident between teachers and young men at Dodi Asantekrom over some school girls, saying "it was just one of the many cases where teachers were unjustifiably threatened." She said if such incidents persisted, it could adversely affect education in the area.

The incident caused teachers in the community to abandon the school after the young men had threatened their lives.

The teachers returned to work after the District Chief Executive, Dr Godfried Siaw, solved the impasse.

A Junior Secondary School pupil, Theresa Ntoniwa, expressed concern about the criteria used in selecting children to represent the country at international functions such as those of the United Nations Organisation because according to her students from the cities benefited most.

She, therefore, called on the authorities to reverse the trend to narrow the gap between the urban and the rural students.

Drivers should not get down at police barriers

Koforidua, Jan.16, GNA - Chief Superintendent James Kwame Amoah, Eastern Regional Police Commander of the Motor and Traffic Unit (MTTU), at the weekend reminded drivers that it was wrong for them to alight from their vehicles to see police officers at check-points and barriers. The MTTU commander who said this in an interview with the GNA at Koforidua on Thursday, explained that police personnel were obliged to go near vehicles to make the necessary checks.

Chief Sup Amoah, however, said the police, in the cause of performing their duties on the road could ask drivers to come down from their vehicles whenever are faults are detected on the vehicle. The Regional Commander advised drivers to always carry along with them their driving license, insurance papers and other important particulars to facilitate the work of the police.

Chief Sup Amoah noted that drivers without the requisite documents " normally pack their vehicles far away from check-points and barriers and hurry to plead with police officers on duty".