DCE Bemoans Low School Attendance

Nkwanta (Ash), September 22, GNA - Mr. Abdul Karim Boakye-Yiadom, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asante Akim South, has expressed concern about low school attendance by pupils in the district, blaming the situation on parents.

He said the refusal of some parents to either enrol their children in school or pay little attention to their education in an era where Basic Education is free is unacceptable and irresponsible. Mr Boakye-Yiadom said this when he visited some schools in the district to mark "My First Day at School" on Tuesday. Among the schools he visited were Juaso Saint Andrew R/C Primary School, Juaso District Assembly Primary School, King David International School, Juaso Presbyterian Primary and Nkwanta Presbyterian Primary. Accompanied by some officials from the District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), he distributed biscuits and caps to fresh pupils admitted to Kindergarten and Primary One. Virtually all the schools visited by the DCE recorded low enrolment especially, Nkwanta Presbyterian Primary that admitted only 11 pupils to the Kindergarten.

Teachers of the school said the situation was an annual ritual and that parents in the community normally enrol their children four to five weeks after the beginning of the academic year. They accused parents of the community of not prioritizing the education of the children and called on the DCE and the Education Directorate to initiate moves to reverse the trend.