Bolgatanga, March 8, GNA - A civil society organization, Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA) operating in Upper East Region, has expressed concern about certain negative developments in the Region. The President of NORPRA, Mr. Bismark Adongo Ayorogo who led the members to the Regional Minister, Mr. Mark Woyongo to express the concern, said they were not happy that medical examination of students in second cycle institutions in the region was undertaken by doctors from Accra. Mr. Ayorogo said there were equally qualified doctors in the Region who are as competent as their colleagues who travel from Accra to the Region for the exercise and monies paid to them could be used to develop the Region. He said NORPRA was not also happy about the situation where mock examination papers of junior high schools in the Region are given out for contract to a company in Accra.

"The printing can be done in the Region to save cost and other inconveniences."

Mr Ayorogo said NORPRA disagreed with teachers and staff motivation levies initiated by some school authorities in the Region where parents were made to pay some monies that are given to staff and teachers as a form of incentive.

The NORPRA Members appealed to the Committee organizing the region's 50th anniversary celebration to assign competent people in the Region to take up contracts on the designing of paraphernalia for the celebration instead of awarding it to contractors from outside the Region. It appealed to the Regional Minister to give them a role to play during the celebration.

NORPRA members asked the Regional Minister how far the Government had gone with the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA). In response to the SADA question, Mr Woyongo said the government had finished some of the processes and that a bill on it was before parliament. He assured the NORPRA members that the Regional Coordinating Council would investigate the concerns they had raised and assured them of roles to play in the forthcoming celebration of the region's 50th anniversary scheduled to start in September.