Kpeve (V/R), Jan. 26, GNA-A total of 13,000 pupils in public schools in the South Dayi District are to be de-wormed by the middle of next month. The exercise is to promote child retention in schools, which was being undermined as a result of ill health.

Mrs. Elizabeth Kpatakpa, South Dayi District Director of Education disclosed this at a day's de-worming training workshop for selected school based health teachers in the district.

The Ghana Education Service organized the workshop in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service with financial assistance from UNICEF and the District Assembly.

Mrs. Kpatakpa said a research conducted revealed that children of school-going age have the highest intensity of worm infection in the society.

She observed that as a result, a huge number of school children, especially those in lower primary show signs of ill health during lessons.

" Most of our children in the lower classes are always found with signs of loss of appetite, painful abdomen and protruded stomach and fever among others which are symptoms of worm infection," Mrs Kpatakpa said.

She said the situation accounted for the poor performance of children in school and expressed the hope that the exercise would lead to improve academic performance and the knowledge, attitudes and practices in health and sanitation in society as a whole.

Mr. Castro Amafoti, South Dayi District School Health Officer called on parents to cooperate with the teachers for the success of the exercise. He advised teachers who would be deployed for the exercise to make time to educate parents who may not see the importance of the programme and make judicious use of the drugs.