Kuntu (C/R), April 26, GNA - Thirty-seven school projects comprising pre-schools buildings, basic school blocks and teachers' quarters have been undertaken at a total cost of 9,535,655,626 cedis in the Mfansteman District since 2001.

They were financed through the District Assembly Common Fund, Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Fund, the Social Investment Fund, the European Union Micro Project, Ministry of Education, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the African Development Bank (ADB).

Mr Robert Quainoo-Arthur, District Chief Executive announced these in a speech read on his behalf at an Open Day organised by the District Assembly Junior Secondary School at Kuntu near Saltpond on Tuesday. The DCE said 34 large-size poly tanks had been purchased at a total cost of 289 million cedis and distributed to schools facing acute water problems.

He said 14,769 dual desks were also supplied to schools in the District as well as 14,000 exercise books and appealed to parents to take advantage of the efforts by the government to improve education to send their children to school.

Mrs Matilda Bannerman-Mensah, District Director of Education advised children from rural areas not to make where they come from be an impediment to their education.

With determination and hard work a child from the remotest village can achieve what his counterpart in the city can do, she said and advised intellectuals from rural areas to pay regular visits home to counsel the young ones to see them as their role models. Mr Matthias Ampah Brient, Headmaster commended Dr Perry Kirklin, a retired University Lecturer from the United States for giving a two-year scholarship to all of the students of the school.

Dr Kirklin was enstooled Nkosuohene of Kuntu in August 2002 under the stool name of Nana Baffoe II. appealed to the District Assembly, parents and organisations for assistance to construct a playing field and extend electricity to the school and the teachers' quarters. Nana Kwesi Brebo II, Chief of the town on behalf of the Nkosuohene presented a quantity of books, science equipment, four computers, two steel cabinets and sports equipment donated by Nana Baffoe and members of a committee he had formed in America to support the development of Kuntu to Mrs Bannerman-Mensah.

Nana Brebo advised the students to take good care of the equipment and the books and promised to release land for a sports field. The Director of Education thanked the donors and appealed to the teachers and the students to put them to good use.