Government supporting education of orphans

Wioso (Ash), May 26, GNA - Mr Kwaku Obeng-Boateng, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ahafo-Ano South, announced that government has made available 110 million cedis to support the education of orphans and other needy children at the basic level in the area.

The DCE said the district assembly has formed a special committee to supervise the disbursement of the money and to ensure that only eligible children benefit from the package.

Mr Obeng-Boateng who was speaking at a meeting of the chiefs and people of Wioso near Kunsu to discuss how to promote the development of children in the area, said it was among the 40 districts selected nationwide where school children from primary one to six would enjoy free education with effect from July this year.

He noted that education formed the foundation for the development of every country and advised parents to invest in the education of their children.

Mr Obeng-Boateng said: "Let us therefore not merely put our children in the school but more importantly we should make sure that they are retained in the classrooms ".

He urged parents to ensure good health for their children and expressed regret that some nursing mothers were reluctant to attend post-natal clinic, citing that only 3,580 babies out of the total of 10,234 babies in the area we regularly taken to clinics.

He said, consequently, as many as 672 children died of malaria, diarrhoea and anaemia in the area so far.

The District Director of Health Services, Dr Edward Tagoe, commended the people for participating in the immunisation exercise in the area but expressed worry that eight per cent of families in the district had still not accepted the use of the iodated salt.

Nana Anim Baffour II, chief of Wioso, appealed to the assembly to assist the people to complete a housing project for the Wioso health centre.