Tamale (N/R), May 6, GNA - Mr Philip Laari, the District Chief Executive for Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo, has called for assistance to rehabilitate nine schools whose roofs were ripped off by a rain storm some few days ago.

He said the district was already battling with inadequate funds to put up 19 schools under trees and 21 mud school buildings to enable pupils have a sound learning environment.

Mr Laari made the appeal at an educatiol forum dubbed 93Education in Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District"-Where Stakeholders' are Needed." It was organized by the District Education Directorate, the District Assembly and the Netherland Development Organisation (SNV) with funding from Camfed, an international development organization. The forum, which brought together stakeholders in education in the area, was to discuss and develop efficient and effective measures to improve education in the areas of pupil retention, quality tuition and improving educational infrastructure in the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District.

Mr Laari said the district, which was carved out of the then East Mamprusi District in 2005, was one of the deprived districts in the Northern Region with bad roads and the lack of potable water among other challenges.

"As if the deprivation alone is not enough there is regular conflict in the district which often destroys and brings to a halt almost all developmental efforts," he said. "Districts created in the same year with ours such as Garu-Tempane, Sawla-Tuna-Kalbe and Central Gonja have galloped away in development and left us crawling", he said. Naa Alhaji Abuba Nasinmong, Paramount Chief of Bunkpurugu Traditional Area, appealed to parents to take interest in the improvement of standards of education in the area. He said the standard of education in the area was falling and needed efforts of all in finding prudent ways to address the situation.

Mr Charls Atia, Head of Operations, Camfed, Ghana, said the financial assistance for the district formed part of the organization's effort to promote education especially girl-child education in deprived districts.

He pledged Camfed's support towards the improvement of quality education to complement government efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goal Two that targets universal primary education by 2015. 06 May 11