Pre-school building inaugurated for Ada Foah Zongo community

Accra, March 25, GNA - Mr Kofi Plahar, Dangbe East District Chief Executive (DCE), on Thursday said the assembly would endorse community by-laws that eliminate child labour, refusal of parents to enrol and maintain children in school, truancy, indiscipline and child molestation to ensure that children's rights are observed.

Mr Plahar said the assembly was very much worried about the practice of some parents engaging their children in fishing, salt winning, farming and other economic activities, instead of keeping them in schools.

According to him these practices in the end negatively affect the normal development of the children.

The DCE made these remarks at the inauguration of a 184 million-cedi pre-school building for the Zongo Community at Ada Foah in the Dangbe East District on Thursday.

The building consists of three classrooms and an office. Mr Plahar said efforts of stakeholders in the education sector would not yield the desired results if emphasis was not placed on early childhood development.

He said the District Assembly would continue to ensure budgetary allocation to the education sector. "We will also collaborate with communities which initiate their own local programmes that would accelerate education."

The DCE said the building was financed from the High Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Fund, adding that the assembly has successfully completed eight projects under fund last year.

He called on the Town Council, Parents Teachers Association and school Management Committees to take good care of the building. Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Darteh (Rtd), Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, who inaugurated the building called on parents to invest in their wards' education.

He said most private institution in the country had been able to achieve higher laurels not because of good facilities but as a result of good supervision.

The Deputy Minister urged stakeholders to assist in ensuring good supervision in public schools by showing interest in the activities of schools attended by their wards.

Mr Effah-Dartey unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration, commending the government for providing 50 new schools in every district.

Mrs Regina Amedator, Dangbe East District Director of Education, called for more funds for pre-schools to facilitate the acquisition of teaching and learning materials.

Ms Beatrice Nortey, the headmistress, appealed for assistance to enable the school construct toilet facilities.