Awuah Odumase (B/A), Dec. 21, GNA – Mr. Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, former Member of Parliament for Sunyani West, has called for the re-introduction of corporal punishment in basic schools.

He noted indiscipline had gained grounds in the schools because of the abolition of caning and other physical punishment meted to offending school children.

Mr. Adjei-Darko made the call at a fund raising rally in aid of the Odumase Education Endowment, at Awuah Odumase, in the Sunyani West District.

The fund was instituted by the Awuah Odumase Traditional Council to support needy but brilliant students in the area.

Mr. Adjei-Darko said ensuring quality education was a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, and appealed to parents to provide their children with basic educational needs.

He observed that some school children felt reluctant to attend school because they lacked basic educational materials.

Mr. Adjei-Darko asked parents to avoid spending on frivolous things and invest in the education of their children.

Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, said education remained the foundation for accelerated development.

He advised parents to augment the efforts of the Government in ensuring education for all children of school going-age in the country.

Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo said 596 educational projects had been undertaken in the region since the National Democratic Congress assumed power in 2009.

He appealed to teachers to eschew attitudes that could affect teaching and learning.

The Minister expressed concern about the abysmal performance of students in the region in this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) .

Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo pledged GHc 2,000 in support of the fund and asked other people in the area to contribute to the scheme.

Nana Kwame Korang VI, Paramount Chief of Awuah Odumase, expressed regret that parents placed emphasis on funerals and other social activities to the detriment of the education of their children.

He said this had contributed to the high school dropout rate among the youth and some had become alcoholics and drug addicts and peddlers.

Nana Korang appealed to the Regional Security Council to beef up security in the area to clampdown on Indian hemp peddlers and smokers.

Mr. Osei Agyemang Prempeh, District Director of Education, said out of the 1,371 students who registered for the BECE this year, 781, representing 57.2 per cent passed whilst 584, representing 42.8 per cent failed.

He said the Tanom Municipal Assembly and Akwasua Municipal Assembly Primary and Junior High Schools scored zero percent in the BECE.

Mr Prempeh said though this year’s general results of the BECE in the country were very poor, the district placed 76 out of the 163 districts on the national BECE league table.

On pupil’s enrolment, Mr. Prempeh said the district had 7,277 pupils in kindergarten, 16,622 in primary schools and 5,462 in Junior High Schools and the teacher population was 1,248.