Agona Duakwa(C/R), Oct. 10, GNA - Nana Ato Arthur, Central Regional Minister has expressed concern about the poor academic performance of students from Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) at Agona Duakwa and other towns in the Agona District.

He noted that the lukewarm attitude by some teachers affected the academic performance of the students and called on them to change their attitudes to ensure better results next academic year. Nana Arthur expressed the concern when addressing a durbar of Chiefs and the people of Agona Duakwa to climax their annual Akwambo festival.

He asked teachers to take advantage of the Distance Learning Programme to improve on their knowledge instead of creating more vacancies in the classrooms for their pupils and students to suffer. The Central Regional Minister said Government would endeavour to improve the conditions of service for teachers and urged them to work hard to assist the students to excel in their examinations. He called on the chiefs to enact bye-laws that could prevent children from staying out in the night and at funerals to enable them have more time to study.

Nana Arthur commended Captain Anthony Kwesi Acquah (Rtd) Managing Director of Delta Security Services for sponsoring two JSS students every year as part of his social responsibility to Agona Duakwa. Mr John Kwesi Agyabeng, Member of Parliament for Agona East called on the chiefs and people to establish an educational endowment fund to cater for brilliant but needy students to pursue secondary and tertiary education.

He pledged the commitment of the Government to improve the living standards of the people and urged them to exercise restraints in their demand for more social amenities in their communities. Mr Ben Mensah, Agona District Chief Executive said the assembly would soon introduce bye-laws that would ban children from roaming in the communities at night.

He called on parents to assist the teachers to improve the academic performance of their children.

Nana Kojo Amoakwa V, Chief of Duakwa appealed to parents not to shirk their responsibilities to their children. He said the Duakwa Traditional Council would not spare any parent who shirked their responsibilities to educate their children.