Mr Daniel Appau Ohyeamang, Mampong Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has condemned the practice of some parents, who instead of putting children in school engage them as farm hands, especially in the rural communities of the area.
This, he said, was completely unacceptable and must end.
Rural poverty could only be brought down if the rural population recognized the importance of education and ensured that all children of school going age were enrolled in school.
Mr Ohyeamang said this in a speech read for him during the 50th anniversary of Yonso M/A One Junior High School (JHS) in Yonso in the Ashanti region.
It also marked the first graduation ceremony of the school.
Mr Ohyeamang warned that the assembly would prosecute parents who refused to send their children to school.
He asked them to take advantage of interventions like the Free Compulsory and Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), school feeding programme and free school uniforms and appealed for more computers to the school.
Mr Johannes Acquah, the Headmaster of the school, said teachers were determined to give off their best and adequately prepare the pupils to come out with good grades in the Basic education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The school scored 69 per cent passes in the 2007 BECE, 78 per cent in 2008 and 88.9 per cent in 2009.
Mr Kwabena Danso, Country Director of Yonso Project, which assists needed students, said the Project has awarded scholarships to some pupils in the school as well as books and other learning materials, as its contribution towards raising the standard of education in the town.
It has also constructed library facilities and made available computers to schools at Akrofoso, Kyekyewere and Apaah.