Akuapem chiefs to help find solution to falling standard in education

Akropong-Akuapem, Sept. 10, GNA- Studies have revealed that 22 basic schools in the Akuapem North and South District had annually been achieving zero per cent at the Basic School Certificate Examinations (BECE) between 2000 and 2004.

As a result, the Akuapem Community Foundation (ACF), a Non-Governmental Organization, is to organize a forum on September 28, at Aburi Girls Secondary School for Traditional Authorities in the Akuapem Area, Headteachers and Parent/Teachers/ Associations to help find solution to the situation in the affected schools.

This was announced by the Chief Executive of the ACF, Nana Oye Mansa Yeboah, Dompiahene of the Akuapem Traditional Area on Friday at Akropong-Akuapem, when the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah, called on the Akuapem Traditional Council to formally introduce himself to the members of the council at Akropong.

The Okuapehene, Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa III, who welcomed the Minister appealed to him to ensure that on the completion of the Adenta-Mamfi road, the police should be placed at vantage points on the road to check speeding and wrong driving tendencies to help reduce road accidents.

He explained that this was necessary because often, after the rehabilitation of roads in the country, drivers drove recklessly leading to road accidents which, he said, should not be allowed to happen in the Akuapem area.

The Brekusuhene, Nana Oteng Koranchi, called for co-operation between civil servants, politicians and traditional authorities when it comes to the creation of new District Assemblies and re-demarcation of boundaries to avoid unnecessary chieftaincy disputes.

He explained that part of lands under his traditional jurisdiction which was managed by the Eastern Regional Lands Secretariat had now been demarcated into the new district created for the Abokobi District in the Greater Accra Region and the management of the documentation of that sector of the land had been shifted from the Eastern Region to Greater Accra Region without his notification. Nana Koranchi said often, such developments led to land disputes among traditional authorities when not properly handled, adding, "later the same politicians and civil servants who created the problem turn round to wrongly blame the chiefs."

Nana Appiah Anti, Tutuhene, called for the reconsideration of the constitutional provision that banned traditional authorities from taking part in active partisan politics.

He regretted that during the election of members of the Unit Committees, the traditional authorities in the communities were excluded and now those who were elected could not be located for discussion of development projects in their communities.

Mr Barimah explained that the constitution excluded traditional authorities from participating in only partisan politics but not "politics in general because politics is about the management of the people which the chiefs were already engaged in."

He challenged the chiefs to provide his administration with land and he would help create work for the unemployed youth in the area. Mr Barimah informed the chiefs that a one-acre mango farm could yield between 20 to 25 million cedis per annum and yet most of the youth in areas where such farms could be cultivated were going round without taking advantage of the situation.