The Daily Graphic reports on its front page of drastic fall in the enrolment in schools in the Brong Ahafo Region. The paper says enrolment in both basic and second cycle schools in the Brong Ahafo Region has dwindled drastically over the the past two years. It says out of the 51 second cycle schools in the region, only four have enrolment figures of around 700, three have about 300 while the rest have around 70, with some having as low as 11 students. Available records at the regional directorate of the Ghana education Service (GES) indicate that though girls form a low percentage of the enrolment figure, the drop-out rate among girls continues to rise at alarming proportions. Mr Kofi Biritwum, acting Regional Director of Education, disclosed this at the annual delegates’ conference of the Brong Ahafo Students’ Union (BASU) at Berekum.
“NDC fully endorses Obed Asamoah’s action”, is another front page story in the Graphic. The story says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said it supports the action of Dr Obed Asamoah, Chairman of the party’s Finance Committee of prompt reporting to the police two security personnel suspected of the theft of monies belonging to the party. According to the Graphic, a statement issued in Accra at the weekend and signed by the party’s General-Secretary, Alhaji Huudu Yahaya said it is the policy of the NDC to ensure accountability in the management of its funds. The statement which was in apparent reaction to press reports about the party and its activities in recent times, said those reports are deliberate moves to create an “unfortunate impression that there is division and party squabbling among the party hierarchy”. Another front page story in the Graphic says the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has served notice to Arcadia Petroleum Company based in London, holding Arcardia responsible for breach of contract in respect of deliveries to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR). The corporation, the paper says is also holding Arcadia liable for the damages TOR is demanding from GNPC being expenses incurred as a result of the non-delivery of fuel. The GNPC was unable to to honour a contractual agreement to supply 90,000 tonnes of gas oil to TOR during the second quarter of the year, leading to a country-wide shortage of the product.
