Ejura (Ash), Jan 5, GNA - The Ejura-Sekyedumase District Assembly will provide free school uniforms to all needy pupils in the district this year, Dr Joshua Ayarkwa, the District Chief Executive, has announced.

He said the assembly was using all relevant means to encourage and sustain school enrolment right from the pre-school to higher and acceptable levels of education.

Dr. Ayarkwa was speaking at a special thanksgiving service in honour of three distinguished and prominent leaders of Ejura and a sod-cutting ceremony for the Ejura congregation of the Presbyterian Church at Ejura on Sunday.

The personalities were the Right Reverend Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, the Right Reverend Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, Anglican Bishop of Kumasi and Very Reverend Professor Emmanuel Kwaku Asante, President of the Theological Seminary in Accra.

The DCE said the assembly in collaboration with Self-Help International Foundation, an NGO, has selected 17 pre-schools to benefit from a free feeding programme in addition to the NEPAD feeding programme.

He indicated that kitchens and other logistics and rations for the various schools were all ready and that the programme which will eventually be extended to all pre-schools in the district will take off when schools re-open next week.

Dr Ayarkwa announced that 17,000 exercise books were distributed to pupils in the basic schools free of charge to enhance quality teaching and learning last year, adding that the assembly has set aside 400 million cedis this year under its financial commitment towards education as against 102 million cedis last year.

He said the government spent 158 million cedis under the maternal delivery exemptions in the district from April to October last year, adding that 788 mothers benefited from the programme.

The DCE said the assembly would embark on a massive registration and organization of all artisans and master craftsmen for capacity building and financial empowerment as from this year.

He called on the clergy and the churches in the district to endeavour to educate the people on government policies and programmes.