Tema, April 28, GNA - The Tema Municipal Director of Education, Mrs Lucy Kwapong, has appealed to parents and guardians not to take advantage of government's free education programme at the basic level to shirk their responsibility of providing their children and wards with school basic requirements.

She said despite government's Free Universal Compulsory Basic Education (FCEBE) programme, education was expensive. Mrs Kwapong said this at a ceremony at which the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) awarded scholarships totalling 320 million cedis to 40 brilliant but needy students in the municipality to pursue their secondary education for the 2006/2007 academic year.

Mrs Kwapong suggested to the oversight committees of the awards scheme to consider students who perform well in sports and other areas. The Tema Municipal Chief Executive, Mr David Quaye Annang, said beneficiaries who performed poorly or indulged in social vices would have their scholarships withdrawn to serve as a deterrent to others. He said last the TMA spent 293.8 million cedis on scholarships. The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku 11, stressed need for parents to place their children's education on their priority list.