Bongo, Dec 18, GNA - The government, through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), has presented 1,137 needy children in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region with school uniforms and bags estimated at about 111 million cedis.

The package that benefited children from 47 primary and 19 Junior Secondary Schools is part of the government's move to encourage children from deprived areas to attend school.

The government has also released more than 5.5 million cedis to assist children with special needs.

The District Director of Education, Mr. Francis Dong-Betigr who made the presentation, said the payment of sports and culture fees will be abolished in 40 deprived districts as from January next year. On behalf of the parents he thanked the government for the intervention and urged the pupils to put up their best to justify the government's effort of education for all children in the country.

At another ceremony the Bongo District Assembly and World Vision International also presented 100,000 cedis and a certificate each to nine Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) best subject teachers in the district.

The awards, the first in the district and the Upper East Region, is aimed at motivating teachers to work hard to enable children come out with good examination results.

Addressing the award winners in a speech read for him the DCE, Mr Clement Apikiya, commended the teachers saying unlike last year when the district placed 45 in the national grading in the BECE, it won the 29th place this year.

However, he said, surprise checks in some schools in the district reveal that no effective teaching and learning goes on. Mr Apikiya said there is a high rate of absenteeism and lateness among some teachers who prefer to stay in towns away from the villages where they teach.

He urged such teachers to change their attitudes and emulate the examples of the award winners.

Mr David Claiden, a British Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) personnel and a management support officer, said though the awards were not very attractive, he hoped they would spur other teachers on to work harder for recognition.