Ninety-five schools get 10,000 bags of maize from National Service Scheme
The National Service Scheme (NSS) has made available 10,000 maxi bags of maize harvested from its Ejura Farm to support the feeding of students in Senior High Schools (SHS)in the Ashanti Region.
This is expected to benefit a total of about 95 SHS.
The maize, sold at reduced prices to the schools, was handed over to the Regional branch of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) at a ceremony at Ejura.
Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the Education Minister, gave high marks to the NSS for the significant contribution it has been making towards the nation’s progress.
She said she was impressed with what the Scheme was doing to support the growth of the agricultural sector.
She used the occasion to underline her resolve to ensure the removal of some unapproved charges that tend to inflate the cost of school fees.
She noted that levies such as students’ representative council (SRC) dues, teachers’ motivation and school development fund were overly overburdening parents.
Prof Naana Opoku-Agyemang said to help make things a bit better for all, a technical committees had been set up to standardize the fees charged by the schools.
She said the cost of education in the country had gone high because of some of those levies and that was why they need to work together to change things.
Mr. Samuel Sarpong, out-going Ashanti Regional Minister, said the NSS, over the years, had proven to be an indispensable partner in the nation’s socio-economic development.
Its Ejura farm project has clearly demonstrated that the graduates had been attracted to farming.
Mr. Vincent Senam Kuagbenu, Executive Director of the NSS, said they were determined to work to change the status quo, impeding the development effort of the country.
The Scheme has established agricultural farms in seven regions and these are maize farming, piggery, aquaculture and poultry.
He said NSS was working with the Ministry of Agriculture to modernize agriculture to enhance local food production and also cut down on food imports.
Odiasempa Bugyei, Krontihene of Ejura, commended the NSS for creating jobs for people in the area through its farm project.
Reverend Collins Oppong Anane, Regional CHASS Chairman and Headmaster of Ejuraman SHS, who received the maize, thanked the NSS for selling the maize to them at reduced prices.
Source: GNA