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School children at Moree in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District have called on government to reduce the recent hikes in fuel and utility tariffs.

In a passionate appeal made to the President through Nana Oye Lithur, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, they urged him to ensure that the issue was addressed as quickly as possible to enable their teachers assume their responsibilities in the classroom.

Miss Ellen Eshun, a pupil of Moree D/A Catholic Junior High School, made the appeal on Friday when she read a statement on behalf of  the children during  the ‘President’s New Year party for Children’ held in Moree, hometown of Vice-President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.

Teaching in most public schools across the country was halted on Wednesday when teachers joined the nationwide Organised Labour demonstration to register concern over the recent increase in fuel and utility tariffs.

They wanted government to withdraw the recently introduced Energy Sector Levies Act, which had led to 28 per cent increase in prices of petroleum products. They also wanted a drastic reduction in electricity and water tariffs, which had been increased to more than 50 per cent.

Miss Eshun, a JHS 3 pupil, said: “Daddy, please address this issue as quickly as possible to enable them assume their responsibilities in the classrooms.

“Please give our teachers better conditions of services so that they can give of their best in training the future human resource of mother Ghana,” she said on behalf of more than the thousand children who had converged at the venue for the party.

Miss Eshun said good and accessible education was a prerequisite for the development of their full potentials, adding that this could be achieved with the help of their teachers and other stakeholders.

She also appealed for furniture for both pupils and teachers in the district, saying that the JHS one pupils of the Moree Catholic School still sit on old benches supported with building blocks.

Miss Eshun also appealed for well-resourced libraries and ICT Centres, as well as work on various water projects in the region to be fast-tracked to end their long walk in search of water, which, she said, affected their attendance to school.

Master Emmanuel Knight Arthur, a visually impaired student of the Ghana National Basic School, who read a statement on behalf of the deaf and blind, also appealed to government, non-governmental organisations and philanthropists to help the school out of it numerous challenges.

He said the school lacked embossed text books, braille sheets, braille machines, voice recorders and computers with disability-friendly software to help enhance academic work, as well as accommodation for resource teachers to enable them assist them to learn during in the evening.

Master Arthur appealed for a bus to transport them, as well as the rehabilitation of an access route from Ghana National College to their school, which had become dangerous, especially for the visually impaired, due to effects of erosion.

Mrs Lithur assured the children that government would not renege on its responsibilities towards them, and added that this year it had renewed its commitment to ensure that all children, irrespective of their social, economic and religious status, lived in a peaceful environment with unending opportunities.

She stated that Cabinet had approved the ‘Justice for Children Policy,’ which will give equal justice for all children through formal and informal structures while other projects such as ‘From Street to School’, aimed at getting children out of the streets, and the rehabilitation of children parks had begun.

She said social interventions such as capitation grant, school feeding programmes, free school uniforms, NHIS and LEAP would be strengthened to create more opportunities for all children, and advised them to reciprocate the gesture by being obedient to their parents, teachers and all older persons.

A total of 20 best students from some JHSs in and around the town were each given a laptop computer sponsored by Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.

Packed food and drinks and 2,000 presents, donated by Samaritan Purse, were distributed to the children, in addition to 1,000 branded exercise books from Guru, a hiplife artiste, who thrilled the children with a musical performance.