Nkoranza (B/A), May 4, GNA - The Nkoranza District Directorate of Education has organised a day's workshop to educate about 120 heads of schools and circuit supervisors on basic accounting principles to be able to manage the finances of their institutions and to keep accurate and proper records. Mr. Kwabena Agyemang-Badu, District Director of Education explained that the workshop was to enable the school heads to acquire knowledge about the guidelines from the distribution and utilization of capitation grants sent to their schools under the Pilot Programmatic Scheme (PPS) project, which is sponsored by the World Bank and the government.

He announced that the government had released more than 200 million cedis to the district for the running of primary schools and that the education of pupils in the district were fee-free. The District Director urged the school heads to prepare Performance Improvement Plans for their schools and to design the necessary budgets on projects envisaged for them so they would also receive the needed grants towards the development of their institutions. Mr. Agyemang-Badu advised them to be careful about the way they utilized the grants to prevent misappropriation and embezzlement, adding that auditors would visit the schools to audit the appropriation of grants released to them.

He commended the government for providing structures to promote education in the country but called for the provision of incentives to boost the morale of teachers.

Mr. Aduse Poku, Brong Ahafo Regional Education Budget Officer, called on the Head teachers to keep accurate records on all items and materials in their schools to be able to render accounts on them at any given period.

He urged them to keep receipts of all activities they undertook with grants to avoid embarrassment and advised them to work within the guidelines on the grants.

Mr. Osei Kuffour, Chairman of the Nkoranza District Basic Schools Heads Association called on the head teachers to be very vigilant about the utilization of the funds.

He urged them to exhibit honesty and transparency in all their activities to receive support from their teachers and advised them to take decisions on development projects with their teachers and School Management Committees.