Jonathan Nii Tackie Komme, MP for Odododiodoo, has called on parents to assist teachers to help curb drug abuse and teenage pregnancies among the youth especially students. He stressed the need for the collaboration of all stakeholders in the development of the youth to reverse the trend, which was impeding the progress and development of many students and pupils. Addressing the second anniversary and Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Parent Care International School at Kasoa in the Central Region, Mr Komme advised parents to inculcate discipline in their children to make them God fearing to grow up into responsible adults. He said, "if you spare the rod you spoil the child and train the child in a way that he will not depart from it when he grows". The MP described said children as "assets" of the state and called on parents to take good care of them to enable them to be useful for the socio-economic advancement of the nation. He charged parents to educate their children on the need to abstain from pre-marital sex to curb teenage pregnancies and the spread of HIV/AIDS since they had greater responsibility to prevent social vices. The MP cautioned them to desist from maltreating their children and sending them to people in the urban centres as house helps. Mrs Maude Welsing-Quaicoe, Proprietor of the School, called on parents to ensure the proper upkeep of their children and to ensure that they were neat at all times, saying, "cleanliness is next to Godliness". She appealed to them to provide their needs such as textbooks, bags and uniforms and to pay their school fees regularly to enhance effective teaching and learning. The School started two years ago with 10 children now had 300 pupils. Source: GNA