Kintampo, (B/A) Dec. 31, GNA - The Kintampo North District Assembly have earmarked 153 million cedis to support untrained teachers in the district who are currently taking part in the diploma basic education programme in order to boost their morale.

Mr. Abdulai Razak, District Chief Executive told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Kintampo that such assistance was going to cover 153 teachers who have started the programme at the Wesley College at Kumasi and that for the first year, each would receive one million cedis. According to Mr. Razak the assembly would offer such support to the teachers annually until they complete their four years course. He said the low and poor standard of education in the district was the result of the lack of trained teachers in the area, hence the assembly's decision to arrest the situation and to bring improvement into the performance standards of the students in the area. Mr. Razak therefore stressed the need for the teachers in the area to redouble their efforts to help move Kintampo North District forward in education, adding that the district assembly has initiated a number of incentive packages to boost the morale of hard working and outstanding teachers in the district.

Mr. Razak commended the Government for the fee free education policy which has enabled most parents to enroll their wards in schools and said the capitation grant sent to have increased school enrolment in the communities.

Statistics have shown that all the 45 school going-age children at Kyiranda in the district were in the local school and at Wura Akura, 98 out of the 104 of such children were also in school.

The Chief Executive pleaded with the people to burry their political differences and forge ahead in unity in order that they would all share ideas and views and initiate development programmes that would enable them to improve upon their living standards.

The youth should live above reproach and ensure to be self-disciplined, law abiding and obedient and they would grow as responsible citizens to serve the state.

Mr. Razak called on the collaborative efforts of all traditional rulers, unit committees, assembly members, religious leaders and opinion leaders in the area and with their unity they would be able to organise the people to enhance the development of the district. He advised the people to register with the national health Insurance Scheme in order that they would free themselves from the "cash and carry" system.

He said that the scheme has been very beneficial to the people in the area as death rate among them has reduced in the communities. On Agriculture, the Chief Executive disclosed that under the Presidents Special Initiative (PSI) Project, the assembly would encourage the youth to go into the cultivation of cassava and mango and that the assembly has negotiated with some of the traditional rulers in the area for some farm lands towards the project.

He therefore pleaded with the unemployed youth in the area to organise themselves to embark on the project to enable them to improve on their economic activities and to move forward in life.