Ghanaians have been urged to cut back their spending on aphrodisiac and alcoholic beverages in order to save enough money to take care of their children’s education.

Nana Kyei Baffour II, Ankobeahene of Kwapia, said parents, particularly needed to get their priorities right by doing everything to ensure that their kids were not only enrolled but retained in school.

He was speaking at a ceremony held to officially inaugurate a new educational circuit in the town by the Adansi North District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The goal is to strengthen supervision in schools in the area to significantly raise academic performance.

Nana Kyei Baffour condemned the situation where some children attended school bare-footed and in tattered uniform and yet their parents were able to spend good money on local liquor (akpeteshie), aphrodisiac drinks and social events including funerals.

That, he said, was not the way to go, adding that, the future of children must be put at the centre of everything they did.

The Ankobeahene also reminded teachers to show total commitment and passion for the job they were doing.

He asked that they put to effective use the instructional hours and did away with absenteeism.

Mr. Paul Antwi Oppong, the District Director of Education, said the Kwapia Circuit brings to 10 the number of educational circuits established in the area to help promote effective teaching and learning.

He said they were determined to make sure that the schools were efficiently managed to achieve high academic standards.

He spoke of a programme launched by the directorate to aid pupils and students to acquire reading skills.

Mrs. Doris Nunoo, the Circuit Supervisor, called on all to work together to provide additional classrooms and furniture, information and communication technology (ICT) laboratories and the supply of sports equipment to the schools.

The Kwapia Circuit comprises of 10 public schools, three private ones and a senior high school (SHS) with a total of 162 teachers and student population of 2,929.