Regional News of Thursday, 20 October 2005

Source: GNA

Wassa West District Assembly builds school for Bepo

Bepo, (W/R) Oct. 20, GNA- The District Chief Executive for the Wassa West District Assembly, Mr. Emmanuel Kwesi Ayensu on Thursday commissioned a three unit JSS-classroom block for Bepo-Ehyireso District Assembly School at a ceremony at Bepo near Bogoso. The school was built by the Assembly with some of the share of the common fund at the cost of two hundred and four million cedis (204 million cedis).

The school would absorb pupils from Bepo, Ehyireso and some farming communities located within the area.

Commissioning the project, Mr. Ayensu said the Assembly has already commissioned two projects, including a community center for Bepo and a 16-seater aqua-privy toilet at Ehyireso with its share of the Common Fund to help improve sanitation in the area.

He promised that the Assembly would do well to construct another three unit JSS classroom block for the people of Ehyireso because both schools have recorded high enrolment school children and sooner or later they would need another classroom block.

Mr. Ayensu regretted the District's low educational standard was retarding the progress of the district and it was time parents saw the importance of education and sent their children to school. He therefore, urged parents to give education of their children a priority since education holds the key to development.

He promised to provide the school with furniture and exercise books, and challenged to support to support their to raise standard of the school.

Mr. Ayensu cautioned them to stop polluting the rivers, which serve as their main source of drinking water with poisonous chemicals such as "DDT," in their bid to catch fish.

The head teacher of the school, Mr. James Kwabena Anyam thanked the assembly for providing the community with the new block which, he said, has come as a relief since the school had to close anytime it rained as result of heavy leakage.

Mr. Anyam urged the DCE to provide the school with electricity to enable it to benefit from computer and the President's Special Initiative on distance learning.

He regretted that the school's performance was not encouraging, adding that truancy was the major problem and that was affecting the school's performance.

He said out of the 57 candidates who sat for the Basic School Examination, only 11 pupils gained admission to the senior secondary school.

The head teacher therefore advised the parents to support the teachers in the education of their children to enable the school to raise its standard.

Nana Kofi Nkrumah, the chief of Bepo, who chaired the occasion expressed appreciation for the Assembly for coming to the aid of the school when the request was put before them.

He urged the community to maintain the structure for other generation also to benefit.

Nana Nkrumah appealed to the DCE to renovate the Bepo market and also construct more structures for the women to have better place to sell their products since the market had to be abandoned anytime it rained.

He also appealed to the assembly to support needy but brilliant students with scholarships.