Asokore (Eastern Region) 6 April ?99

The Member of Parliament for New Juaben North constituency, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, has called on the government to place more emphasis on education to make it affordable to Ghanaians.

The cost of education and the present income levels have made it extremely difficult for most parents to cater for their wards' education, especially at the tertiary levels. Mr Owusu-Agyeman made the call at the inauguration of the Asokore Students Union (ASU), at Asokore at the weekend. The MP suggested to the government to link up the Ministries of Education, and Employment and Social Welfare to enable school graduates to gain easy access to employment. Mr Owusu-Agyeman noted that the current arrangement whereby the two ministries are far removed from each other was a contributory factor to the overwhelming unemployment and under employment in the country.

He called on students especially those at the tertiary level to make meaningful contributions to ensure the realisation of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme.

A farmer, Dr Isaac Omane, who presided, urged the students to spearhead development projects in the town. The union, formed in 1997 with eight persons, now has 40 members.