The Nkoranza District Directorate of Education has received GH 200,000 million (two hundred billion cedis) in capitation grants since the scheme was introduced to support schools in the district. In a report read for him at a meeting of the social services sub-committee of the district assembly, Mr. Agyemang-Badu, District Director of Education, said heads of beneficiary schools were admonished to utilize the funds on their activities and programmes to enhance quality education. He said school management committees and circuit supervisors had also been empowered to ensure that the grants were judiciously spent. The district director said about 30 schools in the district were benefiting from the school-feeding programme and that there had been a significant increase in enrolment in the beneficiary schools. Mr. Agyemang-Badu announced that the Directorate, with support from the district assembly provided about 6,000 dual desks and 550 teacher's tables and chairs to primary schools in the district. A total of 1,110 mono desks have also been manufactured for distribution to Junior Secondary Schools, he added. The District Director said the directorate had been organizing in-service training courses for teachers and would organize courses on basic hygiene and nutrition for matrons and other non-teaching staff in beneficiary schools of the feeding programme. Mr. Agyemang-Badu complained of the lack of residential accommodation for teachers in deprived areas, especially settler farming communities and appealed to the district assembly to help solve the problem. He disclosed that about 160 teachers would receive bicycles and gas cookers as incentives to motivate them to redouble their efforts to enhance quality education in the communities. Chairman of the committee,Benjamin Adu-Sarfo urged unit committees to curb the habit of school children attending video shows, concerts and funerals. He advised parents to ensure that their children studied after school hours and to provide their basic school needs to complement government efforts. Mr. Adu-Sarfo entreated parents to pay regular visits to their wards schools to interact with the teachers to know their children's performance and to assist in addressing their peculiar problems. Source: GNA