Sawla (N/R), Aug 25, GNA - The National Youth and Employment Programme has taken off in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District with 150 farmers benefiting from it.

The District Assembly has ploughed about 300 acres of land for maize cultivation while it has distributed inputs such as fertilizers and seeds to the farmers.

Mr. James Kipo Sunyehzi, the District Chief Executive announced this at the second ordinary session of the Assembly at Sawla on Thursday.

He said the Administrator of the District Assemblies' Common Fund had allocated 393 million cedis to the Assembly for the programme, adding that, the programme is expected to create 850 jobs for the youth in the district by the end of the year.

Mr. Sunyehzi said the NEPAD School Feeding Programme had also taken off and funds were made available for the feeding at the Nasoyiri Roman Catholic Primary School during the last school term. He said the Assembly received 9.5 million cedis to start the programme, which is expected to cover 24 school feeding days of 180 pupils.

The DCE however, expressed worry about reports of an upsurge in the rate of teenage pregnancy in the district, especially involving schoolgirls and their male teachers. He said the practice had contributed to the increase in school dropouts, warning: "This unfortunate situation cannot be allowed to continue".

He urged the Assembly Members and the District Education authorities to report such offenders to the appropriate agencies for the necessary disciplinary action to be taken.