Govt advised to extend feeding system to private schools

Issa (UW/R), Sept. 5, GNA - Mr Mathias Puozah, Member of Parliament for Nadowli East, has appealed to the government to extend the proposed feeding system in the public schools to private schools, so as to make the programme holistic.

According to him, leaving out children in the private schools would be tantamount to discrimination against some children in society, since they were all Ghanaian children and therefore, have the legal entitlement of the national cake.

"The public schools alone, you are all aware cannot absorb all children of school going age in the country, which the private sector was supplementing and leaving them out will be a social lapse and a disincentive for the private sector".

Mr Puozah made this appeal at Issa during the Nadowli East constituency National Democratic Congress (NDC) delegates' conference, where new constituency executives were elected.

He said although the management levels of public schools and the private sector were different, parents all over, were facing similar socio-economic problems in the country, which justified equal treatment to all children in the country.

The MP also urged the government not to rush the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme, as it could pose serious repercussions on the standards of education in the country. He suggested to the government to expand facilities in all the teacher- training colleges in the country to train more teachers to man all the schools, since the programme would require more teachers to succeed.

"Already, a lot of schools, particularly in the rural areas of the country are without teachers, which definitely would be aggravated by the introduction of the FCUBE programme, if effective measures were not put in place'.

Mr Puozah said with the introduction of the programme, many more children would be admitted in schools and if care was not taken, the programme could face staffing and infrastructure problems. Naa Seidu Braimah, regional second vice chairman of the NDC advised party members to avoid petty quarrels, but to forge ahead for a resounding victory for the party in the 2008 general elections. He also advised them to get actively involved in next year's district level elections that would pave way for the 2008 general elections in the country.

Alhaji Abudulai Bakwai was retained as the constituency chairman, while Mr Joseph Bayor Kayor and Alhaji Yussif Ampere were elected first and second vice chairmen respectively.

Messrs Fonjuma Abubakari, Mohammed Pogsan, Thomas Kunyara and K. K Abu were also elected secretary, deputy secretary, organizer and deputy organizer respectively.

The others were; Mr Abu Kansagna, Treasurer, Timothy Tang, deputy treaurer, Peter Kanzir, propaganda secretary, Dassah Hamza, deputy propaganda secretary, Ajara Alhassan, Women's organizer and Mary Katore, deputy women's organizer.