Koforidua, Feb. 4, GNA- The New Juaben Municipal Directorate of Education on Tuesday presented school materials costing six million cedis to needy school children in the area.

The items comprised schoolbags, stationery, uniforms and footwear and was the second in a series of a three-year programme instituted by the British Department For International Development (DFID) for needy pupils in the municipality to boost their morele.

Speaking at the ceremony, the New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive, Nana Adjei Boateng, reminded parents of the beneficiaries that such intervention of stakeholders in education was not meant to replace parental responsibility.

He, therefore, charged teachers of the beneficiary pupils to identify "irresponsible" parents for the necessary sanctions to be taken against them, warning that the Assembly would not take it kindly for any irresponsible parent who have the means but intentionally do not take their children's education seriously.

Nana Adjei Boateng expressed concern at the increasing rate at which parents, especially, fathers in the municipality, were ignoring their responsibility of providing their wards of their basic needs such as uniform, stationery and even food to enable the child to have a sound mind to learn.

The MCE who urged the teachers to assess the performance of the beneficiaries to appraise the system and urged them to demonstrate love and commitment towards the pupils.

The Municipal Director of Education, Ms Felicia Duku, said the facility had so far benefited 450 school children in the Municipality since it's inception.

She explained that the criteria for selection was not based on brilliance and gender alone but through appearance and inactiveness of pupils in classroom.

Ms Duku advised parents to give priority to the education of their wards.