Accra, May 21, GNA - The University of Ghana branch of the Tongu Students Union at the weekend resolved to go home during the long vacation holidays to offer free tuition in their villages. Mr. Simon Anani, President of the Union who announced this during the Union's annual awards night said the results of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the in recent years were ''nothing to write home about".

"It therefore falls on us as students to offer our services in curbing this downward trend in the academic performance in the area," he said.

Mr. Anani said the Tongu community could boasts of many brilliant graduates who unfortunately did not return to help in the development of the area after graduation, a situation that needed to be stopped. "The development of our area is a collective duty for all of us," he said.

Mr. Moses Asem, District Chief Executive (DCE) of North Tongu, bemoaned the low level of development in the district and urged all Tongus and other development partners to help develop the area. He said although the district was worst affected by the construction of the Akosombo Dam, it was the area that was most neglected by all governments in the connection of towns and villages to the national grid.

"Looking at the trend of development now in the nation, much is expected of us as citizens from the area to help the area develop," he said.

Mr Asem pledged the support of the North Tongu District Assembly to the students and all other organizations and called for unity among all of them, adding, "We will support whoever w e have to if only the issue of assistance is brought to attention".

He said government had awarded a number of road contracts and other infrastructural projects in the district and with cooperation from the people, the area would be better developed.

Mr Ken Dzirasah, Member of Parliament for South Tongu urged the students to bury their differences and rally around the current leadership to develop Tongu land.

He said to ensure that the Tongu students continued to excel in their various fields of study, the leadership had planned special awards ceremony for students who graduated with first class and second class upper divisions in their degree examinations.

Mr Vincent Azumah, a Development Practitioner and Human Rights Advocate urged the students to educate the people in the area to stop selling their wards into slavery and as child labourers. He said they should infuse in the minds of the people, the relevance of education and how that could help bring development, "because it is only by self- development that we can develop our areas better". 21 May 07