Mankessim (C/R), Feb 23, GNA - The Mfantseman Municipal Director of Education, Ms Vicial Etroo, has called on Parliament to enact a law to compel parents and guardians to send their children to school. She said the absence of a law to enforce the compulsory aspect of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) Programmed launched many years ago had been thwarting government's efforts at making every Ghanaian child to have access to basic education.

Launching Rights to Know, Rights to Education Project in the Mfantseman Municipality at Mankessim on Monday, Ms Etroo said about 30 per cent of school-going age children were not in school because there was no law binding parents to send children to school and education authorities could not compel them.

Rights to Know, Rights to Education Project was initiated and is being implemented by the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition in partnership with IDASA of South Africa with funding from Danish Fund for International Development.

It is being implemented in Swaziland, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya. The Project seeks to empower citizens to use their right to information to demand quality basic education by participating in rights based budgetary processes, decision making implementation and monitoring. Ms Etroo commended GNECC for initiating the Project to enlighten the people on matters concerning education in the participatory countries. She said in Ghana, for instance, many people did not know what the Capitation Grant was meant for.

Ms Kate Harriet Warden, Regional Coordinator of GNECC, said the Project is being implemented in Greater Accra, Western and Central Regions. In the Central Region, Mfantseman Municipality, Assin South and Gomoa West districts are the beneficiaries of the Project.

The Very Rev Jacob Oboh Williams, Mankessim Circuit Superintendent of the Methodist Church, appealed to priests to use the pulpit to educate the people on educational matters.

The four-day workshop is being attended by School Management Committees and Parent/Teacher Associations from four communities in the Municipality.