Binduri (U/E), May 23, GNA- The Member of Parliament (MP) for Binduri in the Bawku municipality of the Upper East Region, Mr. Mark Anthony Awuni, has presented a number of awards to teachers and pupils to boost education in the area.

Five teachers were honoured with bicycles, certificates and cash prizes for their meritorious and dedicated services towards the upliftment of education standards, whilst three students who excelled in the 2004/2005 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) with aggregate 12 were also presented with 500,000 Cedis and a bursary each to complete secondary education. Seven drop-out returnees, including a 55-year-old grandmother of nine, and ten needy pupils also received exercise books and 100,000 cedis cash each.

Thirty-two pupils, who performed creditably received uniforms and exercise books.

A set of jerseys and a football were given to 13 selected schools, whilst a trophy for games was received on behalf of the circuit supervisor for the schools in the area. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Awuni underscored the need for parents and stakeholders to focus on the education of the youth as a tool to eradicate poverty. He urged pupils to be self-disciplined and respect school authorities to enable them to become useful citizens. The Bawku Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Abdul-Rahman Gumah, said the development of the area was a shared responsibility between the government and the community and urged the people to shelve their political inclinations to lend total support to the government. He said government policies were tailored to meet the needs and aspirations of the community and called for concerted efforts to address all the shortcomings in the education sector.

He disclosed that two schools in the area have been included in the NEPAD School Feeding programme on a pilot basis in order to retain pupils who drop out of school due to inadequate meals. The Municipal Education Director, Madam Florence Bobi, said the introduction of the capitation grant has increased enrolment significantly but expressed regret that infrastructure were inadequate to absorb most pupils.

She urged parents not hide behind the grant to shirk their responsibilities but to complement government's efforts by providing their wards with school materials and taking keen interest in their academic progress as well.

She commended the MP for his unrelenting efforts to raise the standard of education by instituting the awards day, adding that this would boost the morale of teachers to give off their best.