Accra (Greater Accra) 18 March '99

An exhibition to educate primary school pupils on stamp collection and letter writing to improve their writing skills opened on Thursday in Accra. The exhibition, organised by Ghana Post, was also to select the most attractive Ghanaian stamp issued in 1998. It brought together about 120 pupils from the Soul Clinic, Christ the King, Ghana International, North Ridge Lyceum and the Ridge Church Schools out of which 20 were given prizes for demonstrating their intensive knowledge on stamps since it was introduced in Britain in 1840. Mrs Jane Assamoah-Broni, Senior Manager in charge of Philately, said stamp collection has been the hobby of school children for some forty years now and this she said helps them to communicate with friends and relatives both in and outside their country. About 250 million people world-wide are into stamp collection but expressed regret that the introduction of television and video games have distracted children's attention from this hobby. She mentioned two types of stamps as commemorative for occasions such as Independence and definitive stamps for wildlife pictures used for ordinary posting. Mr Samuel Asare, Head of Marketing of Ghana Post, said it is an obligation of the postal services to ensure that letters posted get to the recipient within four to five working days for an ordinary postage and 24 to 48 hours for the Expedited Mail Service (EMS). In order to make the service efficient, the public must also endeavour to use the correct stamps and provide the necessary information to enhance delivery.