Bolgatanga, Aug 17, GNA - The Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), a civil society organization, working to empower the marginalized, on Wednesday expressed concern about the closure of the Bolgatanga Rehabilitation Centre.

The group drew the attention of the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Edward Ayagle Ayriba, to the situation, when he interacted with school children during holiday classes, organized by NORPRA in Bolgatanga.

According to NORPRA President, Mr Bismark Adongo, the Centre that provided vocational training to the physically challenged, was closed down in February this year and had since not been re-opened due to challenges, including delay in the release of government grants. "NORPRA would appreciate it very much if urgent steps are taken by the government to open the centre without delay", he said. Mr Adongo called on Government to reduce school fees of students in the Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Upper East Region, taking into consideration the peculiar poverty level in the area. He said that a majority of students, who qualified to enter the SHS, could not do so because their poor parents, mainly peasants, could not afford to pay school fees.

Mr Adongo said the NORPRA organized holiday classes to help address the fallen standards of education in the Region. He appealed to the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly and development partners to support the NORPRA to improve education in the area.

Mr Adongo appealed to Government to make education a priority in the implementation of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority. He said NORPRA was against the setting of end of term examination questions of basic schools by an Accra-based business firm, which had worsen the performance of students, who took part in examinations organized by the West African Examination Council.

The students complained to the MCE about inadequate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centres and computers, which had made the learning of ICT difficult.

The MCE commended NORPRA for complementing Government efforts at arresting the fallen standards of education in the area, and pledged the support of the Assembly for the NORPRA in its development efforts. He assured the students that government was making it possible to ensure that all school children had access to ICT adding that the authorities were building more ICT centres.