Zabzugu (N/R), July 2, GNA - The Zabzugu/Tatale District Assembly, in collaboration with its development partners, have provided some basic schools in the district with classroom blocks and furniture within the first half of the year.

The Zabzugu/Tatale District Chief Executive, Mr. Umar Abdul-Wahab, said this when he delivered his session address. Some of the schools are a three-unit classroom block at Campunni, furniture for Nure Islamic Junior High School and Campuni Primary School, a block of three classrooms at Kandin, a six- nit classroom block at Zabzugu Senior High School and completion of Boys Hostel at E.P. Agric Senior High School in Tatale.

Touching on the School Feeding Programme, Mr. Umar said four more schools have been added to the first two bringing the total number of beneficiary schools to six. He said computers had also been distributed to some junior high schools in the district.

Mr Umar said access to portable water was still a problem in the district and that UNICEF through Church of Christ was in the process of mechanizing some boreholes in the district. He said the Northern Region Small Town Project is moving in to work on two water systems at Kworli and Tatale. Mr Umar said before the end of this year Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) are also moving in another intervention in the area of mechanizing a number of boreholes in the area. He appealed to the people in the area to look out for any strange and suspicious characters as criminals had extended their activities to the area.

The Presiding Member, Mr. Edward Atta Abebe Dawuni, appealed to chiefs, assembly members and the people in the area to cooperate with officers of the 2010 Population and Housing Census when the enumerators visit their areas. Mr. Dawuni appealed to the Ghana Statistical Service to educate the public about the exercise. He said the major problem facing the district is about forced marriage, exchange marriage, early marriage and child trafficking. Mr Dawuni said there was the need for the assembly members to educate the chiefs and their elders to eradicate outmoded customs. "It is unfortunate that girls are even withdrawn from schools for marriage by some parents in the district." Mr. Dawuni appealed to the Minister of Energy to ensure that the programme to extend the national electricity grid to rural areas under the Self Help Electrification Programme (SHEP) covers more communities in the district.

He appealed to the Northern Regional Minister Mr. Moses Bukari Mabengba, to ensure that the extension and tarring of some roads in Zabzugu is completed by the contractor. He said the Tatale town road, which was reshaped by GHANEM Construction, should be tarred and appealed to the government to reshape and tar the 70-kilometre Zabzugu/Tatale to Yendi road.