Ejura (Ash), June 24, GNA - The Ejura-Sekyedumase District Education directorate has disbursed a capitation grant of over 330.9 million cedis to basic schools in the district since the introduction of the grant last year.

Dr Joshua ayarkwa, the District Chief Executive, who made this known, said the grant has led to a remarkable increase in enrolment in schools, stressing that a total of 4,086 children had been enrolled in the various schools, an average percentage increase of 29.4 for both boys and girls.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency after the launch of a district's education sponsorship package at Ejura on Thursday, the DCE said under the grant, the government pays 30,000 cedis for each child, sports and culture takes 6,000 cedis whilst the remaining amount of 24,000 cedis goes to development activities in the schools. He said the district assembly was leaving no stone unturned towards the total enrolment of all school-going children in the district by supporting the government's efforts with the provision of free school uniforms.

Dr Ayarkwa advised parents to take advantage of the opportunities created by the government to send their children to school, saying that education is the bedrock for accelerated development of every nation. He said, "It is for this reason that the government has attached importance and focus to education and human resource development as one of its policy directions.

There is no nation that can develop without first developing and sustaining her human resource and it is against this background that the NPP government has initiated a number of policies and interventions including the grant, untrained teachers' diploma in basic education and school feeding programmes to enhance the total development of people", he added.

The DCE called on the youth especially school children and students to abstain from casual sex, drug abuse and other negative activities that can jeopardize their lives.