The Executive Committee of the Jaman North District Assembly in the Brong Ahafo Region, has recommended to the district’s General Assembly to ban all forms of entertainment events organized for Junior High School (JHS) leavers after completion of their Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).
It believes the move is to check indiscipline and prevent the JHS graduates from engaging in social vices.
It said when the recommendation is implemented, it will not only result in the upbringing of responsible citizens, but will improve educational standards which have been on the decline for decades in the area.
The recommendation was made at Sampa, the district capital, when the committee presented its report for approval by the general assembly at its first ordinary meeting.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) in addressing the meeting, said the assembly owned an amount of over GH¢3.3 million to contractors and suppliers.
This, according to him, covers DACF capital expenditure of GH¢2.6 million, DDF Capital expenditure of about GH¢624,000 and Internally Generated Fund (IGF) Recurrent expenditure of over GH¢229,000.
He pledged to ensure the debt is cleared.
“The debt, although huge, as the District Chief Executive, I am committed to ensuring that the indebtedness is cleared since the projects and programmes that accounted for these huge debts are very crucial to the District,” he assured.
On IGF, he disclosed that the assembly collected an amount of GH¢363,695.00 as of July 2017, as against GH¢380,943.00 budgeted for the year, and appealed to revenue collectors and members to pull their expertise and efforts together so they can collectively increase the IGF.
He proposed the implementation of pragmatic measures such as the use of Revenue Task Force, produce permit, erection of revenue barriers at strategic points and establishment of a database for revenue collection.
The DCE said to complement government’s “Free Senior High School” policy in the area, the Assembly is engaging stakeholders to facilitate the passage of a “Truancy Free Zone policy in this District to strengthen the existing regulation on quality education and to ensure that children of school going age are very much regulated and not allowed to roam after 8:30 pm in line with the Assembly’s Bye-laws, as well as continue to invest in the area of educational infrastructure, sponsorship and other incentive packages that are necessary for quality education.
“In this regard, notwithstanding the ongoing school projects, the Assembly intends constructing a dormitory in each of the three (3) public schools of the District, lecture Hall at Sampa Nursing Training College, and a classroom block at Nafana Presby Senior High School, and also absorb Duadaso No.1 Secondary Technical into the Government public school system to boost vocational education,” he added.
On agriculture, the DCE said funding was being sourced to promote the cultivation of cashew, and appealed to the youth and farmers in the area to take advantage of the “Planting for Food and Jobs” as a package of over 9,300 bags of subsidized fertilizer, 606 bags of improved seeds of maize, rice, tomatoes, and pepper have been received by the District MoFA.
He also touched on measures instituted by the assembly to improve health, security and water and sanitation, and made a passionate appeal to government and donor agencies to come to their aid in addressing the challenges of poor road network which is retarding the development of the area.
In his welcome address, the Presiding Member (PM), Paul Desmond Tutu, called for closer collaboration to accelerate the area’s development to justify the confidence reposed in them by their constituents.
He expressed concern over the inadequate vehicles and logistics for the assembly, and tasked the DCE, MP and management to ensure the little resource available for development is not misused.
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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana