Regional News of Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Source: GNA

Benyiwa-Doe visits pupils in two schools

Cape Coast, Sept. 14, GNA - The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe on Tuesday led a team to visit some basic schools in two districts of the Central Region on their my first day at school" program.

"My first day at school" was instituted some few years ago by the Ghana Education Service to enable government functionaries and top education officers interact with pupils who are attending school for the first time.

The event, it is hoped would help shed the phobia attached to first attendance particularly in rural public schools in remote areas of the country.

The Districts visited were the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK) and the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA), where she welcomed the new entrants and presented them with school uniforms, drinking cups, biscuits and drinks.

At AAK, the Minister and her team including the Central Regional Director of Education, Mr Kofi Safo Kantanka and some District Directors of Education visited the New Odonase Catholic Basic School where 50 kindergarten and 35 Primary one pupils had been admitted.

At the Nyanfeku Ekroful Methodist Primary School also in the AAK District all the 31 kindergarten and 35 Primary one pupils admitted were present.

In KEEA the Minister and her entourage interacted with the pupils of the Bantama M/A School which had 35 new kindergarten and 54 Primary one pupils whiles Elmina M/A had admitted 36 kindergarten and 34 Primary one pupils.

She asked the pupils not to feel inferior due to the fact that they live in remote areas and lacked adequate facilities stressing that it was important for them to attend school regularly.

She said 175,450 school uniforms and 3,845,062 exercise books had been received by her office part of which had been distributed together with 85,500 drinking cups to the pupils during the event.

Mrs Benyiwa-Doe said she hoped that the programme would encourage them to stay in school and called on teachers to be committed and show love to the pupils.