Land for Bolga Polytechnic

The Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), in conjunction with the Bolgatanga Polytechnic authorities, have concluded an agreement with the chiefs and elders of Sumburungu, a village near Bolgatanga for the release of about 10 hectares of land to put up the necessary structures for the Polytechnic.

Mahami Salifu, the Regional Minister, who announced the agreement, said additional land would be acquired for the polytechnic in due course.

He was speaking during an encounter with journalists, dubbed: "Meet the Press" in Accra, on the progress of development projects in the region since January 2001 to date.

Salifu said arrangements had almost been completed for the construction of a two-storey classroom, two workshops and five bungalows and access roads at the proposed new site of the polytechnic.

The Upper East Regional Minister said education posed the greatest challenge to the socio-economic development of the region but that the government has accepted the challenge and resolved to develop and build the human resources in disciplines relevant to the national development and progress.

He said 40 per cent of the capital budget of the District Assemblies in the region was expended on the education sector, and the District Assemblies also provided awards to teachers to motivate them and support the Science Technology and Mathematics (STME) clinics organised annually to encourage girls to pursue science courses.

Salifu said the World Food Programme and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) had been providing one hot meal a day for girls in selected schools as a way of encouraging them to stay in school.

World Vision International is providing school uniforms to schoolgirls, and a girls' primary school, the first ever in the country had been established in Nyariga, in the Bolga District to encourage girl-child education.

Salifu said the curfew imposed on the Bawku township following the conflicts in December last year, was still in force and said as a result of military cum police intervention, considerable peace had returned to the area.

He said fuel smuggling into neighbouring countries had been a major security problem. The Regional Security Council had set up an Anti-fuel smuggling Task Force at both the regional and district levels to track down fuel smugglers.

Furthermore, the REGSEC had other measures, including the education of the general public to promptly report criminal acts to the law enforcement agencies and the use of the local FM station, URA Radio to educate the people in the local languages on the need to maintain peace and live peacefully with one another.

He said the work of the Community Watchdog Committees was being strengthened and cases reported to the Police and the cases were being promptly dealt with.