Sunyani, Jan 23, GNA - The introduction of the capitation grant has seen a tremendous improvement in the results of Basic Education Certificate Examinations in the country.

Madam Lilian Azuba Ayeko, Jaman South District Director of Education, said this at a meeting organized by the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) in Sunyani at which research findings on health and education issues in the district were presented and discussed. She said the situation whereby students stayed away from school because of their inability to pay school fees "has become a thing of the past, as the government is currently funding the education of every school-going child.

"Pupils who were hungry and could not concentrate in class are now provided with food free of charge and this has also helped them to stay in school and has also contributed to an increase in enrolment in every school in the district."

Madam Ayeko said the district had seen improvement in the past four years in the BECE results, mentioning that in 2004 the district clocked 60.2 percent, 61 percent in 2005, 63 and 68 percent in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

She said the children could not study and revise their notes after school because their parents used them on farms and in the market in order to get money to pay their school fees. Madam Ayeko advised parents to encourage their children to be in school always and to provide their basic educational needs and called on the government to motivate teachers to work effectively. Mr. Nicholas Adamtey, an official of the Centre for Budget Advocacy of ISODEC who presented the report, stated that the study analyzed national policies in the education and health sectors. He said the research indicated that the amounts received from the government did not show any consistent pattern toward addressing the developmental needs of the two sectors as the amounts received increased in some years and decreased drastically in others.

Mr Adamtey said the health directorate was cash-strapped to the extent that it could not replace worn-out car tyres and was indebted in stationery and petroleum fuel supplies and could collapse if its problems in finance and infrastructure were not addressed holistically. "It was noted during the research that teaching and learning ended in some non-urban schools whenever it rained due to the poor state of infrastructure, whilst some parents pulled their children from school to assist on the farm during the farming season, as result of the high poverty prevalence in such areas", Mr. Adamtey stated. He called on the government to be committed in allocating more funds to the health and education sectors to ensure some stability in development project implementation.