Saltpond (C/R), April 27, GNA - A tree-planting exercise, health talk and a walk for health would be part of the activities to mark this year's May Day celebration in the Mfantseman District. Mr Asamoah Agyei-Kusi, Chairman of the District Council of Labour (DCL), stated this after a tree planting exercise by workers at Saltpond.

He expressed the determination of workers to continue giving dedicated services to improve the living conditions of the people in the district.

Mr Agyei-Kusi appealed to unionised workers to participate in the May Day activities to express the solidarity of the labour front. The DCL Chairman announced that the Central Region celebration of the Day would be marked at Assin Foso in the Assin-North District. Mr Robert Quainoo-Arthur, District Chief Executive (DCE), advised the people to learn a lesson from the extensive damage caused to some buildings when a rainstorm hit the Tamale Municipality about two weeks ago to plant trees to serve as windbreak.

The DCE expressed regret that some communities and organisations had made it an annual "ritual" to plant trees without nurturing them to grow.

"The depletion of our forest cover and the fast drift of the Sahara Desert downwards should be a concern to us all", the DCE stated. Mr Quainoo-Arthur commended workers for the prevailing industrial harmony in the district and praised them for using dialogue to resolve labour disputes without joining their colleagues on strike elsewhere and urged them to keep it up. Mr Patrick Awuku Owusu, Secretary of the Council, appealed to workers to take interest in the education programme on the re-denomination exercise.

Concern about high BECE absenteeism

Gomoa Potsin (C/R), April 27, GNA - A total of 59 candidates, 28 males and 31 females out of 575 for this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) at the T I Ahmadiyya Secondary School at Gomoa Potsin failed to turn up.

This came to light when the Gomoa District Chief Executive (DCE), Madam Joyce Aidoo, visited some centres for the BECE in the District. Madam Aidoo, who was not happy with the high number of absentees said, "If one centre alone can record such a number what about the remaining nine centres".

"We do not seem to value education, last year 15 schools scored zero per cent and this year the students will not even turn up to write the examination," she stated.

The DCE called on the District Education Directorate to furnish the District Administration with a list of absentees with reasons. "How many times do we want the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) to conduct research into the poor performance of our schools in examinations," the DCE exclaimed. Madam Aidoo appealed to parents, teachers, students and staff of the inspectorate unit of the District Education Directorate to strive harder to save the image of education in the district.

Madam Aidoo expressed the District Assembly's determination to invest more to improve the standard of education and called for the collaboration of all stakeholders in the effort. She advised the students at the centres not to indulge in examination malpractices and encouraged them not to "fear" the examination.

The DCE urged the invigilators and supervisors to be fair and firm without creating anxiety in the students. The DCE was informed that Mr Gabriel Nubieku , Proprietor of the Miraton International School also at Potsin failed to register six of the 26 final year students for the examination even though he had collected registration fees from them.

The case is with the Police and the DCE said, "I will not like to take the sail out of their wings" but gave the assurance that she would ensure that the six students received free tuition to register for the next BECE without any cost to their parents or guardians.