Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Member of Parliament (MP) for Agona West has organised a maiden food competition for 11 selected basic schools in the Municipality to help the students acquire cooking skills for prospects. Speaking to the media after the programme, she noted that the purpose was to inculcate in the students the habit of cooking delicious and healthy Ghanaian foods to help reduce their taste for foreign foods. The competition, the MP indicated was also to teach male students how to cook for their own benefits and that of their families. Some of the foods cooked were Ampesi and nkontomire stew, kokonte and groundnut soap, fufu and palm soap, jollof rice and many others. 'The time has come for us as parents, leaders, guardians and heads of educational institutions to teach our children the need to appreciate and consume our local dishes for healthy living.' She assured that the cooking competition would not be a nine-day-wonder but a permanent featu. Mrs Morrison said the competition would subs equently be held at Agona Nyakrom and replicated in the six big towns in the Agona West constituency and the finals will come on in August this year at Agona Swedru where awards would be given to the best school and best student. Mr Bismark Offei, Agona West Municipal Director of Education, commended the MP for her efforts in initiating the laudable initiative. He said the competition was a booster for students because it had become difficult for home economics students to get money to purchase items for practicals due to financial difficulties. The Director of Education said every expenditure was borne by the MP with neither students nor schools' managements paying money for the competition and commended the MP for the gesture. He said the competition had exposed the students to practicability of the theories learnt about home economics and had improved their skills. Mr Offei urged parents and guardians to inculcate into their wards the cooking of Ghanaian foods at home to reap its enormous benefits. M r Samuel Osei Somuah, Agona West Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), commended the MP for her benevolence. He urged students to take the competition serious since it would go a long way to help those who would consider cooking as future career. Source: Ghana News Agency