Education will no more be the preserve of few

Koforidua, Sept. 13, GNA - The New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Nana Adjei Boateng has noted that with the absorption of school fees by the capitation grant for basic schools by government, education would no more be the preserved of few people in the society. He, therefore, called on all parents to take the opportunity to send their children to school for the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) to be realized.

Speaking to parents and teachers during a tour of basic schools in the municipality on Tuesday to welcome new pupils to kindergartens and primary one to mark the "My First Day At School," introduced by the Ministry of Education and Sports, Nana Agyei Boateng said, fee paying could no longer be a hindrance or excuse for children to be denied basic education.


He told them that government had already disbursed funds to all the districts and municipalities to take care of the levies and fees, which were hitherto being paid by parents to be distributed accordingly. Nana Agyei Boateng, therefore, appealed to parents to fulfil their part of the obligation of providing their wards with uniforms, books and good environment to facilitate their learning at schools.


The New Juaben Municipal Director of Education, Ms Felicia Duku, said the essence of the programme to welcome children to school, was to make the children feel comfortable by interacting and parting gifts to them.

She said research had shown that most children were not happy and cried, when they were sent to school, hence the introduction of the programme, saying, it is to make them feel happy and make them want to be in school always".


Ms Duku said the programme, which would be sustained until the FCUBE was achieved, would also increase enrolment at schools, because parents would feel free to bring their wards to the kindergartens. She announced that government would soon extend the free feeding programme, which had started in some regions to the rest of the regions and urged parents to enrol their wards.


Some of the parents, who had come to seek admission for their wards, expressed their happiness and thanks to the government for the new fee policy that had made it possible for them to have brought their children to be enrolled in the schools.