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Tag: school

  • Government didn’t reopen schools to win votes, we believe in our track record Sammi Awuku

    The National Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammi Awuku has debunked claims that the government reopened schools in order to garner votes from the students.

    According to him, although the free SHS policy of the government gives President Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP an upperhand over opposition parties, it however doesn’t absolutely guarantee that all beneficiaries will vote for the President in the upcoming December polls.

    Sammi Awuku, speaking on Joy News, stated; “Though we may stand in an advantageous position because we thought about these young ones and their parents and brought this project, we believe we also have to compete and work hard for their votes.”

    He believed the government’s set of developmental initiatives and programmes will earn them a second term.

    The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), in a press conference, called for the closure of all Senior High Schools claiming the schools were reopened to give opportunity to the Electoral Commission to register them in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

    The opposition party claims the EC wants to rig the 2020 elections in favour of President Nana Akufo-Addo.

    A number of Senior High Schools have also reported COVID-19 cases but the government insists the situation is under control, hence not paying heed to calls by the opposition party to close the schools.

    Mr Awuku doesn’t believe the government’s intention to let the students remain in their schools amidst the COVID-19 is engineered by their desire to win the elections.

    To him, to win or not to win the elections will primarily be based on the track record of both the NPP and NDC.

    He however urged the youth to vote massively for the Akufo-Addo administration.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Too early to shut down schools GES Council Chair

    Chair of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council Michael Nsowah has said it is too early to decide whether or not to suspend schools, following the some senior high schools recording Covid-19 cases.

    He told Alfred Ocansey on the Sunrise morning programme on 3FM Wednesday that the GES will wait for an update from the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Heath Services on the situation to determine whether or not to close down schools.

    His comments come after the President of National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, called for the closure of the schools, following the current development at the Accra Girls Senior High School where six students have tested positive for the virus.

    Following the directive of President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo that schools should reopen to final year students to enable them write their exit exams, all final year SHS and Form Two Gold Track students returned to school on Monday, June 22.

    Exactly a week after reopening six students and two staff contracted the virus at the Accra Girls Senior High School (AGISS).

    Mr Nsowa admitted he gets “reports every day from my officers in Accra. I have heard of some cases of Covid-19 in some of the schools.

    “For me, it is to early to say that because of that we should close down schools. We depend on the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Services to inform on this matter.”

    Source: 3 News

  • Ecole Ronsard holds first-ever drive-thru graduation

    Ecole Ronsard has done it again, even in COVID-19 times! Who would ever think this pandemic could bring about a unique way of graduating? With a little creativity and maneuvering, we were able to hold our first-ever drive-thru graduation ceremony on Wednesday, July 1, 2020! Unlike the traditional drive-thru ceremonies where students drive past the school and receive their certificates, ours took a different twist.

    An entourage including the School Administrator, Principal, Headteacher, Class teacher, School Prefects, and Media team as well as violinists drove through every graduand’s home, holding a short ceremony for them.

    At every home, each expectant Ecole Ronsard graduand and their family met the team with great joy! Some were simply blown away when they saw the violinists play their favorite tunes upon entry into their homes.

    Next, they read their speeches, listened to words of wisdom from the Ecole Ronsard’s Administrator and Headteachers respectively.

    Afterward, they were awarded their certificates by the Principal, Miss Patti Agbenyeke, and then took their long-awaited graduation photos in their gowns.  Refreshment amidst music was next and it was no light thing. It was such a delight seeing that their dream of graduating came true and that not even COVID-19 could stop it. In her address to the graduates, the School administrator, Madam Sandra Beke advised them to ‘continue to work hard and take ownership of their education.’ In addition, Headteacher of the Ecole Ronsard, Miss Arthur, also cautioned them to never take lightly their studies as they advance to Lower Secondary School. When asked how they felt about the whole experience, some of the graduates admitted that they did not expect they would be graduating due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the contrary, a few others felt they deserved graduation because of their hard work. Overall, it was an exciting and fulfilling moment for all! A big congratulation to the Ecole Ronsard Class of 2020. We are proud of you! Hip Hip Hip!!! Hurray!!! Known for quality bilingual education, specifically English and French, Ecole Ronsard is a Cambridge-accredited school located in the East Legon community. Source: Caroline Owusu Asamoah      

  • Mount Sinai SHS expels three final year students over mobile phone

    Three final year students of Mount Sinai Senior High School in Akropong -Akuapem in the Eastern Region have been expelled for sneaking mobile phone into school.

    One of the students concealed a mobile phone to school and connived with the other students to hide it in a trunk when school authorities were investigating the issue.

    The students, however, denied knowledge of the mobile phone when interrogated until it was fished out.

    The students were immediately handed indefinite expulsion.

    Mother of one of the students told Starr News she went to the school to plead for extenuation of the punishment given that the students have limited period to complete school. However, she said, authorities of the school say it would be communicated whenever the school reviews and mitigates the punishment.

    The Headmaster of the School, Wise Dunu, confirmed the expulsion but said he cannot speak to it until he is given permission by the Municipal Education Director.

    Final year Senior High School (SHS 3) students together with SHS 2 Gold Track students resumed academic exercise on 22nd June 2020 to complete the academic calendar.

    The Education Minister Mathew Opoku Prempeh revealed that parents and guardians are not allowed to visit their children in school.

    This is to ensure that children who are being protected in the various Senior High Schools from the COVID-19 are not allowed to come into contact with parents who may have contracted the virus.

    Source: Starr FM

  • Coronavirus: Basic school students appeal for mandatory testing

    Some final year students of Junior High Schools (JHS) in the Ho Municipality of the Volta Region have called on the Government to conduct mandatory COVID-19 testing in all Basic Schools.

    The students who returned to school to prepare for their Basic Education Certificate Examination said they were happy to return but were afraid as they did not know the status of each other, thus the call for the test.

    They told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview during a visit to some Basic schools in the Municipality said though they would observe the necessary protocols to stem the spread of the disease, the test was necessary as they were coming from different homes.

    They also called on the school authorities to ensure that adequate preventive measures were put in place to safeguard their safety during the period.

    The GNA saw Veronica buckets filled with water, tissue papers, liquid soaps, and hand sanitizers placed at vantage points and entrances of classrooms of the campuses to enable students to observe the handwashing protocols.

    Students and teachers were also seen in masks, with “NO MASK, NO ENTRY” written on classrooms to limit the spread of the virus.

    Madam Dzifa Jemima Gidiglo, Headmistress of Kabore JHS told the GNA that the school was prepared to continue with academic work as the necessary preventive measures against the virus were put in place.

    She said both teachers and students would have to check their temperatures before entering the classrooms, adding that no student or teacher would be allowed to enter the classrooms if their temperatures were not checked.

    Madam Gidiglo said no visitor would also be entertained in the school and any student who left the school to the town would not be allowed to return the school.

    Madam Victoria Newlove Addae, Headmistress of Ho Kpodzi E.P Basic B said the school had put all the necessary protocols in place to ensure the safety of teachers and students.

    She said the school had taken delivery of some assorted items from the Municipality Education Directorate including infrared thermometer gun, masks, and hand sanitizers to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

    Madam Addae said the items would be distributed to both teachers and students to stem the spread of the virus.

    She said her outfit would ensure that both teachers and students adhere strictly to the health safety protocols so that there would be no record of the virus in the school.

    Source: GNA

  • Trending Senior High School Girls comics

    The trending Senior High School Comics of Girls of all courses

    Trending high school girls comic

    Can Say Can Do brought Senior high school comics which had been trending. The senior high school girls comics.This is also women empowerment people were talking about. These are the following course of girls and their comic pictures.

    1.General Science girls

    General Science girls are termed as smart and intelligent.They are pretenders.They are sweet loving girls.Boys normally like to sit with boys because of science girls .This make them termed as “dining mafia”.They are coded liar and very difficult.

    2.General Arts girls

    In fact, General Arts girls are the cutest.They are very fashionable.They always behave like “Slay Queens”.They are argumentative and talkatives. They are sweet liars. They are sports women and selfie goddess.

    3.Visual Arts

    They are dependable.They do not rely on any one.They are very understanding.They are snitches.They are intelligent and smart.They do not know how to lie and they are lazy.

    4.Business Girls

    Business girls are the most cleverst of all.They are very confident about their decision.They are kind hearted.They do like they know everything in the world.They are slow poisoners.Business girls are very dramatic and goes straight to the point when talking.

    5. Technical girls

    Technical girls are very pretty and “guy guy”.The technical girls are fashion lovers and tough.Technicals girls are the most stubborn of all.

    6.Agriculture girls

    V

    Agriculture girls are very hard working and fun loving.They like having fun.They are kind of being shy.They like food a lot and very naughty.They are talk backs and makes them argumentative.They think very deep.

    7.Home Economics girls

    Home Economics girls are very cheerful. They are very good cooks (junior chef). They bully junior years a lot.They are also girls gang leader. They like making noise a lot. They are romantic and sexy

    Which one are you or your friend, sister or girlfriend is?

    Source: Kelvin’s_site

  • Government guided by lessons of countries that reopened schools too soon – Pius

    Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Hadzide has said that the government was drawing lessons from countries that saw a sudden outburst of COVID-19 cases when schools were re-opened.

    Germany, Israel, South Korea, France and other countries reopened schools amid the new coronavirus pandemic and spikes in new cases in the schools.

    France for instance recorded 70 new cases in schools that were allowed to reopen.

    Mr Hadzide who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), said “I think that we are drawing lessons and that is why we are taking the kind of steps we are taking.”

    According to him, some of the countries that opened earlier did not take the necessary steps at the beginning but said government would ensure that the preventive measures were followed.

    President Akufo-Addo in an address to the nation on Sunday, May 31, 2020, directed all final year students writing exit examinations to go back to school.

    The directive formed part of measures taken by government to ease restrictions imposed on public and social gatherings to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in Ghana.

    Now religions meetings could be held but members meeting should not exceed 100 while the meeting itself should not last over an hour, according to President Akufo-Addo.

    So far, 38 people have died from the disease, while 2,986 have recovered from the sickness. There still remain a total of 5,273 active cases.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • 6 unit classroom left to rot at Gburimani community

    A six unit classroom block at Gburumani Ahmadiya Primary school has been left to rot in the Gburumani community under the Tolon District in the Northern Region after the roof was wrecked by a rainstorm two years ago.

    The school is one of the oldest basic schools in the Gburumani community and has been serving about four communities in the Tolon District.

    Speaking to the Assemblyman of the area, Ibrahim Mohammed, he indicated that the roof of the Six unit classroom block was ripped off since 2018 by a rainstorm and since then, the school has not been able to re-roof it due to financial constraint.

    He added that, though the incident happened long before he was elected as Assembly Member for the area, through his efforts, only a section of the school building has been renovated to accommodate pupils.

    He also indicated that countless efforts have been made to get the classrooms re-roofed and put to use, especially during this period of the coronavirus pandemic where more classrooms are needed to enable students observe the social distancing protocol when schools finally resume.

    Hon. Mohammed, revealed to GhanaWeb’s Northern Regional Correspondent that, he has been in constant interaction with Hon. Wahab Suhuyini Wumbei who is the MP of the area just to get the classrooms worked on but has not yielded any results.

    Speaking to the community members in their local dialect Dagboni, they also appealed to government and NGOs to come to their support.

    “We are calling on government and the NGOs to come to our aid to ensure that the classrooms are re-roof for students to enter,” Mr. Abukari, a resident of Gburumani told GhanaWeb.

    Mr. Baba another concerned resident in the Gburumani community explained, “this is a problem that keeps us awake in this community and we have contacted our local authorities to come to the support of the school but no response. We have also contacted the district assembly to come to our support but haven’t heard from them.

    “The student population of the school is of hundreds and because there are inadequate available classrooms, they are packed into the fewer classrooms left. Imagine sixty students in a classroom for a teacher to teach them, how would they understand?” he asked.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Coronavirus: Schools wouldn’t reopen now if I were President – Educationist

    A seasoned Ghanaian Educationist, Anis Haffer has said that: “If I were president, I would not open the schools at this time”.

    His comment is coming at a time that the government is planning on easing restrictions on public gathering.

    During the Eid celebrations over the weekend, President Akufo-Addo signalled that consultations on easing restrictions were ongoing while adding that citizens cannot remain under lockdown forever.

    Already private schools are mounting pressure on the government to reopen schools by June next month.

    In a proposal to the Ghana Education Service, the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) and the Conference of Heads of Private Secondary Schools (CHOPSS) are jointly of the view that safety mechanisms ought to be rolled out rapidly to pave the way for, at least, final-year students in all senior high schools to resume school.

    However, delivering a lecture at a virtual forum organized by the Rotary Club of Accra Airport District on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on education, Mr Haffer indicated that the safety of school children should be paramount in determining whether or not schools should reopen.

    “As a parent, I’ll be very uncomfortable tossing my kid up into the jungle, a jungle meaning where there are a whole bunch of people who are elbowing each other and that sort of thing because now if we want to begin to look at even social distancing if we don’t prepare for those things, why do we want to put kids in apprehension of their safety?”

    “The issue is how safe are you?” That is the question and the second one is, have we created a conducive environment in which health is number one prerogative? As the president said, we can solve our economic problems, but when the person is dead, we cannot bring them back to life. What I’m saying is, if I were president, I would not open the schools at this time,” Mr Haffer stated.

    The Educationist also called for enhanced COVID-19 tests between now and September which will then inform the government on the next step to follow.

    Source: Class FM

  • The Minister of Education sets the record straight on when school will reopen

    The minister of education has finally set the record straight on when school will reopen. As much as there are disputes there and there, the final call has been made irregardless of who opposes.

    Teachers are all expected to return on work the 25th of May. Anxieties are rising up for parents as they fear for the safety of their kids. They say they can’t risk their kids lives over an academic year.

    The focus is on coronavirus and they will make sure that all safe preparations are made and no kids will contribute to the rise of coronavirus.

    Parents who refuses to send their children Back to school will have to apply for home schooling. Given that all learners have a right to education. So it is now entirely up to a parent to dertemine whether they will send their children back to school and if not that is fine too. Schools are set to reopen on the 1st of June for grade 7 and 12 and the other grades will follow on arranged phases.

    Source: opera.com

  • Ashesi University founder, others urge government to cancel disrupted school term

    Educationists have been unanimous in their call for government not to rush in reopening schools in the wake of increasing cases of Covid-19 increasing.

    Key among them is the president and founder of Ashesi University, Dr Patrick Awuah who is urging government not to allow students to go back to school.

    According to him, reopening schools at the time the country is battling a global pandemic poses a greater risk to students and teachers.

    “I will not attempt to open now. I will wish to wait till September to give us the understanding on how to deal with the virus and to also take preparatory steps in getting schools ready to receive students,” he stated.

    Dr Awuah proposed that government cancels the disrupted term to allow various stakeholders adequately prepare and ensure safety measures are instituted in schools across the country.

    “Opening schools now is very difficult and probably should not be attempted. We should just say we have lost the third term of the academic year,” he suggested.

    Dr Patrick Awuah made these comments on an education policy forum on Prime Morning on the Joy Prime channel.

    The discussion was focused on how to create a safe environment for education in the midst of a pandemic.

    He also opined a plan be instituted in generating WASSCE grades for students in their final year using their continuous assessment.

    Also contributing to the discussion, Professor Emeritus of Ashesi University, Stephen Adei called for a modified approach to reopening of schools.

    He wants only final year students back to school as the government monitors what it will take to allow full resumption of the educational institutions.

    Former Education Minister, Prof. Jane Nana Opoku-Agyemang feels the government should prioritise public schools when planning to reopen schools as well as bridge the inequality gap that exists between schools in the rural and urban centres.

    She also indicated that the pandemic presents the government an opportunity to plan for both medium and long terms in dealing with future pandemics.

    Meanwhile, teachers unions will on Tuesday May 26, meet President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House as the government continues to hold stakeholder-engagement on a possible reopening of schools.

     

     

  • Shutdown of schools affecting mental health of students Educationist

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Leyden Educational Consultancy based in London, Dr James Owusu, is calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to speed up processes leading to the reopening of schools.

    According to Dr Owusu, the longer the children stay at home, the more it affects their mental health.

    He said research has revealed that the more children stay at home without going to school affects their way of thinking, causes frustration and impacts negatively on their mental wellbeing.

    Dr Owusu said when children stay at home for long without going to school, it is a great disadvantage, especially to the deprived ones.

    “Currently in Ghana, more than 70% of children cannot get access to internet learning or even have computers for learning, hence are always frustrated,” he stated.

    He said the government should engage in training teachers who can detect the psychological behaviour of children when schools reopen in order to help them to deal with their mental behaviour.

    The educational consultant said the government could start the reopening in phases such as opening nursery one, primary one to primary six first because the rate of Covid-19 spread among children is relatively low.

    He added that junior high schools (JHS 3) and senior high schools (SHS 3) could be added because they were at the transition levels with serious text-tracking and tracing so that those with the disease could be easily identified.

    “We can also bring back the shift system so instead of a class of 40, schools can take 15 to ensure social distancing and again with strict regular hand washing,” he suggested.

    “This is a time of creativity with sharp thinking and we should not copy blindly because the USA and the UK are opening schools but rather gradually.”

    He said there are risk factors in every situation and so the government must focus on text-tracking and tracing to build confidence in both students and parents.

    Dr Owusu said the government must ensure that every school has a risk assessment by reducing the various classes to at least, 15 pupils, encourage outdoor learning, ensure teachers wear PPE or nose masks and pupils or students as well.

    Source: Starr FM

  • Daffiama community seeks support to complete school project

    Residents of Daffiama in the Daffiama/Bussie/Issah District have appealed to stakeholders and the general public to support them to complete a kitchen they are constructing for the Saapare Basic School in the community.

    They said the kitchen construction project was initiated by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to secure a decent cooking place for the school children who were benefiting from the Ghana School Feeding Programme.

    Mr Peter Dakurah, the PTA Chairman of the school, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said since the school was constructed about a decade ago, there had not been a decent cooking place for the school forcing the school caterers to cook under makeshift sheds.

    He explained the shed under which they cooked the food was destroyed by a rainstorm about three months ago while the schools were closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    He said the PTA decided to build the kitchen to enable the cooks at the school to prepare food for the school children when schools resume as the rains set in.

    Mr Dakurah said the building has been completed through a communal labour, but that they could not raise funds to purchase cement to plaster the structure.

    “If we are not able to plaster it fast and it rains heavily, it will fall and that will mean that all our efforts are in vain. Roofing is not the problem but the plastering is our major problem”, he explained.

    The PTA Chairman said they had contacted both the Member of Parliament (MP) and District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area but that they had not yet received any support from them.

    Mr Dakurah pleaded with benevolent organisations and individuals to come to their aid by providing them with cement to ensure that the structure is completed.

     

    Source: GNA

  • Schools will reopen after expert advice — Dr. Prempeh

    The Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, says the reopening date of educational institutions will depend on the expert advice of health professionals managing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    That, he said, was to ensure that “we have a safe back-to-school process”.

    “I can assure you that the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the universities are in close and regular contact with the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health,” Dr Prempeh said in a widely publicised letter to students in the country.

    Letter

    The letter, published in the Thursday, April 30, 2020 edition of the Daily Graphic, is the second to be issued by the minister in a week. The first letter, also published in the April 27, 2020 edition of the Daily Graphic, was addressed to parents.

    Schools in Ghana have been closed since Monday, March 16 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Closure

    Over the past five weeks, the letter said “your academic work has been disrupted because of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in our country. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took the bold and necessary decision to close down our educational institutions to protect you and the nation from this deadly disease which has claimed many lives across the world”.

    “I am concerned about your continuous learning, particularly as we near the end of the academic year. I can imagine the uncertainties about reopening dates and examination timetables weighing on your mind and perhaps affecting your preparations, especially for those of you in your final year,” it said.

    Platforms

    In the meantime, the letter said, the Ministry of Education and the GES had created various platforms for pre-tertiary education on television and online to enable students to continue with structured and self-guided learning activities. “For TV, we are currently broadcasting content for senior high school (SHS) core subjects on the Ghana Learning TV. It is available on free-to-air TV, as well as on DStv channel 315, GOtv channel 150 and StarTimes channel 312. Very soon, we will be broadcasting content for kindergarten (KG) to junior high school (JHS) as well.

    “Additionally, we are producing learning content for radio to be broadcast across the country. For online, we have resources available for SHS students on iCampus Ghana which can be accessed via www.icampus. In the near future, content for KG to JHS pupils and students will also be made available on this platform,” it said.

    For tertiary students, the letter said various universities were deploying learning systems to help students continue their education remotely, adding that the ministry was aware of the challenges students were facing with the cost of data and had agreed with telecommunications networks (Vodafone and MTN) to zero-rate educational content online on platforms.

    Stay home

    “For the time being, I encourage you to stay at home and adhere to all safety regulations during these difficult times. I also encourage you to draw up personal daily timetables to engage in learning through the platforms we have provided.

    “Pick up new healthy hobbies, read widely (free e-books available on the Ghana Library Authority app) and exchange learning ideas with your peers,” the letter added.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • ‘Our children can’t go to school after coronavirus; we need a bridge’ – Residents

    The Chiefs and people of Enyiwa-Enhu in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region have appealed to government and public-spirited philanthropic organizations to construct a bridge and or a canoe to facilitate their easy movement to and from the community.

    Enyiwa-Enhu is located at the banks of an estuary. Their only means of transportation is by a canoe but the people do not have any to facilitate their movement.

    The only canoe currently on the lagoon is for an individual, who is also on the verge of selling it to make money for his livelihood.

    The village folks are, therefore, so tensed by this development.

    They explained to GhanaWeb’s Western Regional Correspondent that, in the absence of a canoe or bridge, children cannot go to school after this COVID-19 season, trade will also be affected as they will be cut off from the surrounding communities.

    They further elaborated how scary it is when the sea overflows its banks and the effort they have made to authorities yet, no result has been achieved.

    The appeal was made when Artiste Nero-X together with Aroma Foundation, an NGO focusing on Women and Children well-being embarked on free distribution of handwashing items to the people over the weekend.

    The Executive Director of Aroma Universal Foundation, Monica Dede Odonkor who spoke to our Western Regional Correspondent Daniel Kaku, explained why they took the initiative by emphasizing on the fact that, in this COVID-19 season as a lot of people are donating to those in the cities and towns, Aroma Universal Foundation is concentrating on those in the deprived areas.

    The first batch of their donation was on 30th March, 2020 where handwashing items such as Veronica buckets, sanitizers, liquid soaps, tissues among others were giving to some farming communities which include Sekere Krobo, Didiso, Sekere Himan, among others, all in the Wassa East District of the Western Region.

    The second phase of the donation targeted the fishing communities, she said. Hence, hand washing items was giving to Ajoa, Enyiwa-Enhu, Ponponi, Funkoe among others.

    The Presiding Member for Ahanta-West, Mr. Andrews Ntiful was thankful to the NGO for their kind gesture.

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Students of Bosuso primary study under dilapidated building

    The Head Teacher for Bosuso Presbyterian Primary school in the Fanteakwa South District of the Eastern region, Mr Felix Ofoe Teye has expressed worry over the risk posed to the of lives of his pupils who are compelled to study under a death trap school block.

    According to him, the school building has turned into a death trap due to its dilapidated state. He says whenever it rains authorities are forced to close the school or move the students from the building over fears it might collapse.

    He expressed concern about the safety of the school children saying he fears of a disaster if nothing is done about the situation.

    The headmaster mentioned that, not long ago, the District chief Executive for Fanteakwa south Assembly, Nturi Adgabeng whiles on an inspection visit to the school promised that the situation will be dealt with.

    Mr Teye lamented that with the rainy season almost upon us, there is the need for urgent attention to be given to the plight of the school. He therefore appealed to institutions, NGOs and philanthropists to come to the aid of the school.

    ICT

    He added that through World Vision Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, the school received a donation of tablets and a projector which is being used to teach ICT to the students. He appealed for more support in the form of computers in order to be able to cater for the students whose population exceeds the tablets the school currently has.

    Source: Ahmed Kamal, Contributor

  • Rotten footbridge now deathtrap for school children

    Pupils on island communities in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region risk drowning as they sometimes swim across streamlets of the Volta Lake before arriving at school, as a result of broken footbridges.

    The development has become a major concern to parents as several calls for authorities to fix the problem have yielded no positive results. The most affected communities include Aflive, Adjim and Perdiatorkorpe, all in the Aflive-Alorkpem-Azizakpe Electoral Area of the Ada East District Assembly.

    The Member of Parliament for Ada East, Comfort Doyo Kudjoe Ghansah soon after her maiden election in 2012, constructed the wooden footbridges in question over the streamlets to link the above communities.

    Eight years down the line, the woods have all rotten and the four footbridges have virtually broken down, exposing the school children to danger. Pupils sometimes during high tides, fall in the streamlets when crossing, and as a result, arrive at school with wet school uniforms and books. Others even return home as a result of their books being destroyed in attempts to cross at all cost, or they are unable to walk on such scary skeletal structures.

    Women in labour from other communities are flanked by able men and carried to the nearest CHIPS compound at Perdiatorkorpe due to the bad nature of the wooden footbridges. A lady recently lost her baby after delivering in the middle of the journey when she was being taken to the health center.

    Evans Larweh, a Unit Committee Member said the present situation is affecting commuting, especially school children. He, therefore, appealed to the authorities to give their present predicament urgent attention before disaster strikes.

    Nyemingor Kisseh, a parent also says most of the time adults fall in the streamlets with their luggage when using the bridges, adding that she is compelled to keep her children at home due to the prevailing circumstance.

    Atinkaonline met some pupils who were returning from school who said the situation discourages them from going to school each day, as they feel rejected by authorities and pleaded with the assembly to come to their aid.

    Source: atinkaonline.com

  • Go Ghana International organise creative art training for Oda Senior High School

    On Friday, February 14, Go Ghana International (GGI) a non-governmental Organization organised a vocational training session at the Oda Senior High School in the Eastern region.

    The training session is part of the organization’s objectives to carry out creative art programs in the country to help High School students learn and start their own business, before furthering to their next level in academia or various fields of study. This will enable them to be productive and not sit idle.

    The school which was established by the first president of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1961 was to enhance quality education among the second cycle institutions. The school has a student population of 2,500.

    The students were taken through the art of bead making where they were thought the art of making slippers, key rings, belts and bags.

    Students who enrolled in the program embodied not only the creative art department of the institution but also saw in attendance other students from various departments of the school. The facilitator Miss Rebecca Nyamedor a student at the University of Education Winneba was robust and zestful in teaching the student how to produce the artifacts.

    The Headmistress of the school Mad. Philomina R. Boateng who also happens to be an old student of the school and her assistant heads thanked the organization for their supporting role to enhance education in Ghana. She assured the organization that the school’s doors are always opened for such initiatives.

    Mr. Emmanuel Abu Ampong also thanked the school authorities for opening their doors to GGI. He emphasized on the need to enhance creative art and also improve the quality of education in the country. He further stated to the authorities that more programs towards education are underway for the Ghanaian student to benefit.

    Mr. Bernard Andoh, an English teacher was enthralled about the program and helped in taking coverage of the entire training session. He pronounced his support for the organization to help them achieve these objectives in their future programs.

    Other staff members who were happy about the training included Isaac Boateng, Agyeman Attefuah, Believe Gbedoho, Mensah Duah help with supervision.

    The Head of programs for Go Ghana International Mr. Michael Baidoo spoke about the need of forming branches in all second cycle institutions in order to help better coordination of programs and activities.

    Source: Peter Kenney, Contributor

  • Teacher beats 4-yr-old with mob stick till he fell unconscious

    A teacher at Crystal Heights International School in Nsawam, Eastern Region, on Friday, 21 February 2020, beat a 4-year-old kindergarten pupil with a mob stick until the little boy collapsed.

    The teacher got enraged after the little boy vomited while feeding.

    She ordered the child to clean the vomit and while at it, hit the KG1 pupil with a mob stick until the little boy fell unconscious.

    The victim was rushed to the hospital where he was resuscitated after eight infusions.

    The parents of the child have reported the matter to the Nsawam Police Station and are seeking justice.

    Speaking to Benjamin Akakpo on the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Class91.3FM on Monday, 24 February 2020, the father of the victim advised parents to listen to complaints from their children when they return from school.

    The school authorities told producers of the EBS that they are aware of the incident and are currently doing their independent investigation so cannot speak on the matter immediately.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Meningitis kills two students of Nyankumasi SHS in the Central Region

    Two (2) students of Nyankumasi Ahenkro Senior High School (SHS) have died out of Meningitis out of seven reported cases in the Assin South District of the Central Region, MyNewsGh.com has confirmed.

    Health authorities disclosed that cases of Meningitis were reported in three communities within Assin South involving a farmer, some traders and a seamstress with appeals to the public to desist from buying over the counter drugs as treatment.

    A preliminary report by a medical team at the Assin South District Health Directorate led by the Central Regional Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr. Kwabena Sarpong confirmed the death of the two students.

    According to him, one of the risk factors of meningitis is mainly overcrowding and congestion as well as affected persons coughing and sneezing haphazardly further spreading the disease.

    Dr. Sarpong disclosed this when he met journalists at the Central Regional Health Directorate in Cape Coast to brief them on precautionary measures on the deadly Coronavirus, Meningitis and Inactivated Polio Vaccine campaigns

    He said when his outfit was alerted about the Meningitis disease killing students at Nyankumasi Ahenkro SHS, he rushed to the said School with his hard-working team and upon their visit realized that two other students also had the said disease and they were treated and discharged.

    Dr. Sarpong added the team screened all the sick students but none had Meningitis.

    He said he used the visit to educate the entire School including the authorities and staff about the dangers of Meningitis and measures to prevent it.

    Dr. Kwabena Sarpong advised the school authorities to make sure they decongest the school dormitories to prevent the spread of various diseases.

    “The sad part is that a student who went home to do the National Identification Authority(NIA) card and was well when she was leaving the school, later developed symptoms and was rushed to the Saint Francis Hospital at Assin Foso and passed the same day” he narrated.

    Source: mynewsgh.com

  • Nkoranza Special School appeals for support in upkeep of students

    The Nkororanza Shalom Special School for mentally handicapped is appealing to the government and the general public to support in the effective running of the school.

    Headmaster of the school, Frank Owusu Amoako, made the appeal on Adom TV, saying the facility lacked basic amenities to accommodate the students comfortably.

    “The school needs expansion because we have limited space. No teacher stays here after school hours aside the three house mistresses who ensure total caretaking of the many students.

    It is not the best because sometimes you will be home and a call will come through to inform you some of the challenged students are roaming in town and causing havoc,” he explained.

    He explained that the nature of the students demands that every staff stays on the compound to observe the status of the students but lack of finances and infrastructure has made that impossible.

    Mr Amoako also revealed that the school appealed to the Nkoranza South District Assembly in the Bono Easy Region but the request was yet to be taken into consideration.

    He is therefore appealing to the public and government to donate their quota in the upkeep of the children.

    Source: mynewsghana.net

  • Implementation of free SHS has improved but challenges remain – PIAC

    The Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) has observed that despite the gains recorded in the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy, some challenges remain outstanding.

    The independent statutory body – which is mandated to promote transparency and accountability in the management of petroleum revenues in Ghana – released its 2020 report Tuesday on the “2018-2019 Free SHS monitoring” where it made its observations on the policy known.

    Some positive observations

    According to PIAC, the Free SHS policy has resulted in a timelier reporting of students to school, compared to the period preceding Free SHS.

    “Students no longer have to wait for school fees to be provided them before reporting to school,” PIAC observed.

    On the supply of textbooks for Core Subjects, PIAC said they were provided in adequate quantities, albeit late in some instances.

    The Free SHS programme has also led to increased enrollment in 41 percent of the schools PIAC visited, the report said, wrote adding that the enrollment of girls, in particular, has increased.

    Concerns

    On the quality and timeliness of supplies, PIAC observed that “poor quality and unwholesomeness of some supplies, delays in supply of food and other items, and under or oversupply of some food items and provisions were pretty widespread.”

    “The abolition of cut-off grades in the admission of students has led to a situation of dumping of poor-grade students in schools, particularly deprived schools,” the report said.

    One of the major concerns PIAC observed textbooks for elective subjects were not covered by the policy.

    “However, this has not been clearly communicated to parents by government, leading to a situation where some parents are refusing to take responsibility for the purchase of these textbooks for their wards. This situation is negatively impacting on the quality of teaching and learning in the schools,” they wrote.

    Recommendations

    Among its recommendations, the anti-graft body encouraged “vigilance on the part of school authorities in monitoring the quality of supplies, such as inspecting the expiry dates among others.”

    This, they said “will prevent the suppliers from using the schools as dumping grounds.”

    “In order to avoid the recurrence of over and undersupply of food items, the supply of food items by the Buffer Stock Company should be based on orders from the schools,” PIAC added.

    They also recommended that government ensures “disbursements to the schools are done expeditiously as the non-free SHS students phase out, to avoid closure of the schools and disruptions to the academic calendar.”

    In improving quality of SHS students PIAC said “the Ghana Education Service should pay more attention to the basic schools to improve the quality of students for the second cycle schools.”

    Refer to the document below for the full findings and recommendations of PIAC

    Source: myjoyonline.com

  • Native English speakers fall behind children of immigrants in GCSE maths and English

    Native English speakers have fallen behind the children of immigrants in GCSE maths and English, an official analysis has found.

    According to the latest data from the Department for Education, 43.2 per cent of native English speakers gained grades 9-5 in English and maths in 2019, compared to 43.8 per cent their peers who speak English as an additional language.

    Native speakers were also outperformed by their non-native speaking peers in 2017.  The figures also show that white pupils are the least likely to enter for the eBacc subjects when sitting GCSEs.

    Just 37.5 per cent of white teenagers enter for the award, which is the lowest proportion out of all other ethnic groups.

    Source: Telegrah.co.uk