Holuta(V/R), Nov. 27, GNA - Mr Francis Yao Korwu, Ho Municipal Director of Education last weekend said one of the four thematic pillars of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) Programme in the country was the role of communities in the development of basic education.

He said it therefore behoves communities to supplement Government's efforts to ensure quality education delivery in basic schools in the country.

Mr Korwu announced this in an address read on his behalf at a grand durbar of chiefs and people of Holuta Traditional Are a in the Ho Municipality to climax their annual yam festival.

He said some of the basic responsibilities of the communities were maintenance of school infrastructure, enrolment and retention of pupils in schools, provision of basic needs of their children and wards and ensuring absolute co-operation between the community and teachers. Mr Korwu said it was an undeniable fact that the development of any society depended largely on the level of education of the people adding that educational development formed the basis for high economic development.

"Lack of formal education leads to unemployment and low incomes with its resultant vicious cycle of poverty eventually leading to social vices like armed robbery, teenage pregnancy and prostitution," he said. Mr Korwu commended the people for establishing an Educational Endowment Fund and initiating teaching and learning of French language in all basic schools in the area.

Mr Delali Nutsukpo, Assembly Member for the area said since the Fund was established enrolment of girls in basic schools in the area had increased more than the boys.

He said part of the fund had been used to provide exercise books to all pupils in basic schools and furniture for all Kindergartens in the area.

The assemblyman said non-resident citizens were paying 250,000 cedis and resident citizens 25,000 to support the Fund. Mr Nutsukpo appealed to Government to establish another Junior Secondary School (JSS) for the area, because the existing JSS at Aflakpe could not accommodate the increasing number of students from the seven communities within the traditional area.

Togbe Kwadzo Agamasu II, Mankralo of Holuta Traditional Area said although much revenue was generated at the Holuta border post by Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), the road from Kpedze to the area was in a deplorable state and appealed to Government to rehabilitate it.

He said the people were rehabilitating a two-classroom block at Aflakpe to be used as computer laboratory to train pupils in the area to be computer literate and he had donated two computers. Togbe Agamasu appealed to the Volta Regional House of Chiefs to elevate Holuta Traditional Area to a Paramount status. About 10 million cedis was realised during an appeal for funds for the Holuta Educational Endowment Fund. 27 Nov. 06