TAMA TO COMPLETE WORK ON ASSEMBLY HALL (PAGE 29)

THE Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA) is to commence work on the assembly hall complex project that was left at the vagaries of the weather for the past nine years.
Work on the building, which is situated close to the Northern Regional Police headquarters, would be executed in phases following the high cost involved to complete it.
So far, GH¢350,000 has been allocated for work to begin this year.
The project is estimated at more than GH¢1,400,000.
As a result of the lack of a permanent hall, the assembly has been compelled to hold meetings on hired premises at various locations in the metropolis.
The Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, who announced this at the first ordinary meeting of the first session of the assembly in Tamale, said “the completion of the hall complex will ensure that honourable members will have a decent place for their future meetings”.
Alhaji Friday said waste management, was a major challenge of the assembly and expressed concern over the high spate of indiscipline in waste disposal by some residents.
He acknowledged that with the metropolis fast expanding and increase in its population, daily waste generation was on the increase and indicated that “for now, we shall continue to rely on our share of the District Assembly’s Common Fund to manage waste in the city until we are able to raise funds locally to finance it”.
According to the metropolitan chief executive, the assembly’s contract with private toilet operators had also expired. He, however, gave the assurance that “the due process would be followed to award contracts for the management of the toilets to deserving bidders”.
The mayor also expressed concern about the declining standards of education in the metropolis and called for a holistic measure to address the situation.
“The 91st and 89th positions of the metropolis in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 2007 and 2008 respectively are unacceptable, and, therefore, everything must be done to change the situation for the better,” he stated.
Alhaji Friday called for more qualified teachers to be posted to schools in the area and cautioned existing teachers to eschew absenteeism and lateness.
The metropolitan chief executive also called for the intervention of stakeholders in education.
He further indicated that eight more schools would be added to the current six that are benefiting from the school feeding programme in the area.
The metropolitan chief executive appealed for the inclusion of additional schools in the programme, since the 14 schools would not be adequate, considering the growing pupil population in the metropolis.