Pomposo (Ash), Dec 4, GNA - Two school projects totalling 826 million cedis constructed by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly (OMA) with funds from the HIPC initiative have been inaugurated at separate functions by Mr Joe Boampong, the Municipal Chief Executive. They are a block of six classrooms, office and store, staff common room, urinal and a four-seater toilet facility at Pomposo and three-classroom block, office and store and four-seater toilet facility at Apitikooko.

The projects, which formed part of the assembly's efforts at improving school infrastructure, were built to replace the existing poor buildings.

Speaking at the functions, Mr Boampong expressed concern about the lukewarm attitude of some communities in the municipality towards the education of their children. "If we want to see development in our communities and in ourselves, then we should give priority to the education of our children and wards", the MCE said.

Nana Asirifi Asare II, Presiding member of the OMA, urged the communities to ensure that school buildings were properly maintained to prolong their life span.

He said the assembly had introduced scholarship schemes for junior secondary school students who excelled in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and encouraged pupils in the two schools to study hard so that they could access the scheme.

Mr Joseph Onyinah, the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, observed that the enrolment pattern in the Apitikooko School showed that parents were not interested in the education of their wards. He questioned why the enrolment in the lower levels were high but got reduced at the upper classes and appealed to the community to discourage the youth against illegal mining activities. Mr Onyinah advised teachers to show commitment in their work so that the huge investment the government and the assembly were putting in education would yield the needed results.