THE Aburi Girls’ Senior High School (ABUGISS) has undergone significant transformation over the past nine years as a result of the passion, devotion and visionary leadership of the current Headmistress, Mrs Sylvia Asempa.
In the past, the school was faced with acute water problem, making it routine for parents and guardians to transport water to their children and wards in the school.
It was also confronted with inadequate infrastructure, such as accommodation facilities for teachers and students.
Today, a visit to the school shows that the acute water problem which bedevilled the school in the past has been resolved. Now there is a 24-hour flow of water in every part of the school following the construction of boreholes, artesian wells and the provision of other water facilities, including polytanks.
Presently, there are pipes linking the various dormitories, the science laboratories, staff bungalows, the kitchens and the dining halls, leading to uninterrupted flow of water. In addition to this, the roofs of most of the buildings have eaves gutters which are connected to reservoirs and polytanks.
In addition, the school has built a sachet water production plant, the first of its kind in a senior high school in the country. With the facility, which is funded by the parent-teacher-association (PTA), a student is given a bag of the sachet water a week at a cost of GH¢8 per term.
Furthermore, the school has constructed 23 teachers’ bungalows to add to the 31 already there.
According to Mrs Asempa, "Only eight teachers live outside the school."
On Saturday, May 29, 2010, the school, with the motto: Bepow So Hann, will mark its 64th speech and prize-giving day. During the event, a refurbished Chemistry laboratory, estimated at GH¢32,000, and a two-bedroom flat will be inaugurated.
"Every year, we inaugurate two projects through the support of the old students, the PTA, companies and well wishers. The list of their contributions to the school is endless. No sooner has one project been inaugurated than another springs up," the headmistress said, and commended all those who had supported in diverse ways to improve facilities in the school.
Narrating her success story to the Daily Graphic, Mrs Asempa said three months after assuming the headship of the school in 2001, she expanded the dining hall, with support from the European Union Micro Project, and built an additional bath house to cater for the students.
She added that when she realised that some students were residing in a hostel outside the school, she decided to cut down admission, to the displeasure of stakeholders, adding that she took the bold decision to ensure that all the students would have accommodation on the compound, since staying in a hostel outside the school led to truancy and indiscipline.
After renovating and expanding the five existing dormitories, a sixth dormitory, which has been named after Mrs Asempa, was built.
Mrs Asempa, nicknamed ‘Sylvia Is Coming (SIC)’ or ‘Ofie Wura’ by the students, said majority of the projects were executed during the long vacation.
She said all single lane walkways had been expanded, while new ones had been constructed.
On discipline, Mrs Asempa, who is due for retirement on December 27, 2010, said, "Our approach to discipline is continual," explaining that "it is a holistic system that ensures the total development of our girls so they can reap the full benefits of self-respect, self-dignity and confidence, not only for themselves but also their school and the nation".
On academic performance, she said the school had recorded good performance over the years, adding that last year eight girls obtained grade A in seven subjects, while one girl scored grade A in eight subjects. All 460 students passed in all the subjects, showing a pass rate of 100 per cent, while it was 99.5 per cent in 2008.
"This headmistress has been an extraordinary individual in the annals of this school. She took office when the whole society looked on with trepidation at the alarming challenges that confronted the school.
"She has worked undauntedly with extreme passion and devotion and has succeeded in turning the fortunes of the school around. She has scored a feat that is the talk of the whole nation. She has salvaged this national asset for the benefit of posterity," a letter signed by the PTA Chairman, Prof L. Enu Kwesi, and the PTA Secretary, Mr A.A. Owusu, said.
ABUGISS has a student population of 1,420 and runs programmes in Science, Arts, Business, Home Economics and Visual Arts.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
‘Give due recognition to City and Guilds holders’
THE West Africa Representative of City and Guilds International, Mr Kingsley Koranteng Aseidu, has called for the proper recognition and placement of holders of City and Guilds certificates in the country.
“We are faced with the challenges of recognition from employers and some educational institutions. The sad aspect is that, some employers discriminate against technical/vocational graduates when it comes to job placement and salary,” he said.
Addressing the press in Accra, Mr Aseidu said although the City and Guilds Advanced Diploma was equated to the Higher National Diploma (HND), some organisations paid the HND holders more than the City and Guilds Diploma holders.
In addition, he said, although City and Guilds trained people to become professionals with internationally recognised certification, the “Nurses and Midwives Council is twisting these efforts by preventing government hospitals from employing these graduates”, and called for the immediate intervention by the Ministry of Health.
He said the health care professionals were not nurses or competing with nurses, but provided auxiliary health care services to support nurses and doctors to provide better services.
Mr Aseidu, stressed the need for due recognition of City and Guilds holders and for proper attention to be paid to technical and vocational education.
Mr Aseidu said City and Guilds was one of the world’s leading vocational and technical awarding bodies.
Founded in the City of London in 1878, he said, the examination body now qualified 1.8 million learners in 80 countries every year, adding that City and Guilds offered qualifications in almost all levels of industry.
He said City and Guilds had been operating in Ghana and West Africa for the past 55 years, and that “indeed, it was the only vocational/technical awarding body in Ghana before the localisation of some of their awards by the Ghana Education Service (GES) Technical Vocational Education Division in 1984/1985”.
Mr Aseidu said City and Guilds operated through schools, colleges, training providers and employers, and that such institutions were referred to as approved centres which were given unique numbers once they had been approved to deliver training based on City and Guilds syllabus which were based on the international job market.
“We have over 65 approved centres including employers, training providers who enter their trainees for our examinations every year. Some of the awards include oil and gas, electrical and electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, telecommunication engineering, hairdressing, health care, information technology, hospitality and catering,” he said
Mr Aseidu said City and Guilds had seven levels starting from certificate, diploma and advanced diploma, graduateship, among others, and that those certificates were recognised worldwide for further education and for employment.
In some cases, he said, holders of the advanced diploma were allowed to do one or two years top up degree programmes.
He said City and Guilds was recognised by the GES and the National Accreditation Board (NAB) which normally “verify our certificates and establish the equivalent levels with the local awards”.
Mr Aseidu deplored the way and manner technical education was being handled, and suggested that a technical/vocational levy be set up to support the delivery of technical/vocational education.
“We are faced with the challenges of recognition from employers and some educational institutions. The sad aspect is that, some employers discriminate against technical/vocational graduates when it comes to job placement and salary,” he said.
Addressing the press in Accra, Mr Aseidu said although the City and Guilds Advanced Diploma was equated to the Higher National Diploma (HND), some organisations paid the HND holders more than the City and Guilds Diploma holders.
In addition, he said, although City and Guilds trained people to become professionals with internationally recognised certification, the “Nurses and Midwives Council is twisting these efforts by preventing government hospitals from employing these graduates”, and called for the immediate intervention by the Ministry of Health.
He said the health care professionals were not nurses or competing with nurses, but provided auxiliary health care services to support nurses and doctors to provide better services.
Mr Aseidu, stressed the need for due recognition of City and Guilds holders and for proper attention to be paid to technical and vocational education.
Mr Aseidu said City and Guilds was one of the world’s leading vocational and technical awarding bodies.
Founded in the City of London in 1878, he said, the examination body now qualified 1.8 million learners in 80 countries every year, adding that City and Guilds offered qualifications in almost all levels of industry.
He said City and Guilds had been operating in Ghana and West Africa for the past 55 years, and that “indeed, it was the only vocational/technical awarding body in Ghana before the localisation of some of their awards by the Ghana Education Service (GES) Technical Vocational Education Division in 1984/1985”.
Mr Aseidu said City and Guilds operated through schools, colleges, training providers and employers, and that such institutions were referred to as approved centres which were given unique numbers once they had been approved to deliver training based on City and Guilds syllabus which were based on the international job market.
“We have over 65 approved centres including employers, training providers who enter their trainees for our examinations every year. Some of the awards include oil and gas, electrical and electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, telecommunication engineering, hairdressing, health care, information technology, hospitality and catering,” he said
Mr Aseidu said City and Guilds had seven levels starting from certificate, diploma and advanced diploma, graduateship, among others, and that those certificates were recognised worldwide for further education and for employment.
In some cases, he said, holders of the advanced diploma were allowed to do one or two years top up degree programmes.
He said City and Guilds was recognised by the GES and the National Accreditation Board (NAB) which normally “verify our certificates and establish the equivalent levels with the local awards”.
Mr Aseidu deplored the way and manner technical education was being handled, and suggested that a technical/vocational levy be set up to support the delivery of technical/vocational education.
Power struggle in AASU
A POWER struggle has emerged in the All-Africa Students Union (AASU) threatening the removal of the union’s secretariat from Ghana.
Sources have indicated to the Daily Graphic that Libya, Nigeria and a third country have initiated moves to host the secretariat of the union, which has been in Ghana since 1972.
Currently, one group led by Abdul Karim Hakib, who says he is the acting General Secretary, operates from the AASU Secretariat while another group led by Mr Oludare Ogunlana, who says he is the substantive General Secretary, operates from outside the secretariat.
Mr Hakib told the Daily Graphic that he was made acting General Secretary following the passage of a resolution at a summit in September 2009 due to the long stay in office of Mr Ogunlana.
However, Mr Ogunlana said Mr Hakib’s current position was illegal and unconstitutional, and that he (Ogunlana) was still the substantive Secretary General as he was elected at the union’s congress in 2000, adding that since “2000 there has not been any congress to elect anyone to the position”.
“A resolution passed at a summit in September 2009 says that Ogunlana should no longer be the Secretary General because he has overstayed in office. That is how come I was made the acting Secretary General,” Mr Hakib said, and added that of the five people that were elected in 2000 only Ogunlana was still in office.
He said the AASU held elections every four years, but since Mr Ogunlana took over as General Secretary in 2000, he had not organised any election, and indicated that the planned congress slated for Nigeria in August this year under the leadership of Ogunlana was not recognised by the AASU members.
Mr Hakib, who said he was the substantive Deputy General Secretary, explained that there was no problem with the AASU and that everything was going on smoothly.
“We are not in any crisis as anybody would think,” he emphasised, indicating that the AASU went about its activities legally or “else the government and the African Union would not recognise us”.
He denied that he led people to invade the AASU secretariat to get Mr Ogunlana out.
For his part, Mr Ogunlana said he had been in power since 2000 because there had not been funds to hold elections.
He said he had, therefore, written to the Prof. John Evans Atta Mills to intervene to solve the problem at the AASU secretariat, since efforts to get the matter resolved had not been successful.
“Sir, it is very sad to note that up till date, no concrete measure has been taken to have this issue resolved. At present, as the Secretary General, I cannot access or operate from the office provided for the AASU by the Ghana Government because this group led by the former NUGS representative are still illegally occupying the secretariat and have refused me entry,” the letter to President Mills said.
It explained that the challenges of the AASU since 2004 had been the inability of the union to hold the congress due to financial constraints and lack of sponsors, adding that “this has kept all the elected organisations/countries since 2000 in Libya in office till date”.
The letter said while other elected organisations left the AASU secretariat due to financial difficulties, Nigeria had encouraged her representatives not to abandon the secretariat until the 10th congress in Abuja between August 23 and 28, 2010.
It noted that in the midst of the crisis the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, had offered to host and support the 10th AASU congress.
It said AASU appreciated in no little measure the support of the Ghana Government towards sustaining the union in the country since 1972, and that “we would not want the secretariat to be moved from Ghana to another country”.
In July, 1972, African students met at the University of Science and Technology (UST) [now KNUST] in Ghana to discuss the issue of bringing together all the students on the continent in order to co-ordinate their efforts towards the socio-economic and political advancement of their continent.
That historic meeting laid the foundation for the establishment of the All Africa Students Union (AASU), a non-governmental international students union.
Subsequently, a larger meeting was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1973 to concretise the outcome of the Kumasi and Dar es Salaam meetings as the first two congresses of the AASU.
The third congress was convened in Alexandria, Egypt in 1974 while the fourth was held in Accra, Ghana in 1976 with the fifth being held in Libya in 1978. The sixth congress was in Ethiopia, 1982, the seventh in Luanda, Angola in 1987, the eighth in Accra, Ghana in 1992 and the ninth in Tripoli, Libya in 2000.
Sources have indicated to the Daily Graphic that Libya, Nigeria and a third country have initiated moves to host the secretariat of the union, which has been in Ghana since 1972.
Currently, one group led by Abdul Karim Hakib, who says he is the acting General Secretary, operates from the AASU Secretariat while another group led by Mr Oludare Ogunlana, who says he is the substantive General Secretary, operates from outside the secretariat.
Mr Hakib told the Daily Graphic that he was made acting General Secretary following the passage of a resolution at a summit in September 2009 due to the long stay in office of Mr Ogunlana.
However, Mr Ogunlana said Mr Hakib’s current position was illegal and unconstitutional, and that he (Ogunlana) was still the substantive Secretary General as he was elected at the union’s congress in 2000, adding that since “2000 there has not been any congress to elect anyone to the position”.
“A resolution passed at a summit in September 2009 says that Ogunlana should no longer be the Secretary General because he has overstayed in office. That is how come I was made the acting Secretary General,” Mr Hakib said, and added that of the five people that were elected in 2000 only Ogunlana was still in office.
He said the AASU held elections every four years, but since Mr Ogunlana took over as General Secretary in 2000, he had not organised any election, and indicated that the planned congress slated for Nigeria in August this year under the leadership of Ogunlana was not recognised by the AASU members.
Mr Hakib, who said he was the substantive Deputy General Secretary, explained that there was no problem with the AASU and that everything was going on smoothly.
“We are not in any crisis as anybody would think,” he emphasised, indicating that the AASU went about its activities legally or “else the government and the African Union would not recognise us”.
He denied that he led people to invade the AASU secretariat to get Mr Ogunlana out.
For his part, Mr Ogunlana said he had been in power since 2000 because there had not been funds to hold elections.
He said he had, therefore, written to the Prof. John Evans Atta Mills to intervene to solve the problem at the AASU secretariat, since efforts to get the matter resolved had not been successful.
“Sir, it is very sad to note that up till date, no concrete measure has been taken to have this issue resolved. At present, as the Secretary General, I cannot access or operate from the office provided for the AASU by the Ghana Government because this group led by the former NUGS representative are still illegally occupying the secretariat and have refused me entry,” the letter to President Mills said.
It explained that the challenges of the AASU since 2004 had been the inability of the union to hold the congress due to financial constraints and lack of sponsors, adding that “this has kept all the elected organisations/countries since 2000 in Libya in office till date”.
The letter said while other elected organisations left the AASU secretariat due to financial difficulties, Nigeria had encouraged her representatives not to abandon the secretariat until the 10th congress in Abuja between August 23 and 28, 2010.
It noted that in the midst of the crisis the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, had offered to host and support the 10th AASU congress.
It said AASU appreciated in no little measure the support of the Ghana Government towards sustaining the union in the country since 1972, and that “we would not want the secretariat to be moved from Ghana to another country”.
In July, 1972, African students met at the University of Science and Technology (UST) [now KNUST] in Ghana to discuss the issue of bringing together all the students on the continent in order to co-ordinate their efforts towards the socio-economic and political advancement of their continent.
That historic meeting laid the foundation for the establishment of the All Africa Students Union (AASU), a non-governmental international students union.
Subsequently, a larger meeting was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1973 to concretise the outcome of the Kumasi and Dar es Salaam meetings as the first two congresses of the AASU.
The third congress was convened in Alexandria, Egypt in 1974 while the fourth was held in Accra, Ghana in 1976 with the fifth being held in Libya in 1978. The sixth congress was in Ethiopia, 1982, the seventh in Luanda, Angola in 1987, the eighth in Accra, Ghana in 1992 and the ninth in Tripoli, Libya in 2000.
Accra Girls contributes to human resource needs
Page 11
14-06-10
THE Accra Girls Senior High School has for the past 50 years made significant contributions to the production of the requisite human resource needs of the country.
The school was built in 1960 as one of the Ghana Education Trust Schools by Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The girls’ school, which started with 12 students, has both day and boarding students.
Today, Accra Girls, which ranks among the top girls’ schools in the country, has a population of 1,100 students with about 50 teaching staff and 51 non-teaching staff. It has three dormitories which accommodate 720 students, while 20 of its teaching staff live on the campus.
The programmes being offered in the school are: General Arts, Science, Business and Vocational Skills (Home Economics and Visual Arts).
With the provision of five decades of quality education, the school has lined up a number of activities to mark its 50th anniversary which began with a launch in October last year.
The year-long event includes a fun fair, games with sister schools, clean-up exercises at the Dzorwulu Special School and Maamobi Polyclinic, a float through the principal streets of Accra, home-coming for old girls, fun games for staff and old girls, a dinner dance and variety entertainment night, which will be climaxed with a speech day and a thanksgiving service in October this year.
A visit to the school revealed that a number of projects were being undertaken to improve and expand facilities on the compound. They include a two-storey 12-unit classroom block and a new dormitory to accommodate about 400 students and raising of the wall around the school. These facilities, among other things, would cater for the first-year students that would be admitted into Form 1 in September this year.
At the time Daily Graphic paid a visit to the school, workers were busy at the projects site. They are expected to finish work before the beginning of the 2010-2011 academic year.
Conducting this reporter round the project facilities, the Headmistress, Ms Veronica Akapame, said both students and staff residential accommodation had been inadequate, adding that some students had to commute from as far as Kasoa and around Dodowa to school every day.
She said steps for the construction of a new dormitory and the renovation of a staff bungalow were being undertaken, and she wished more of those facilities were in place.
On the issue of access to water, she said, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, had promised to solve the problem.
Ms Akapame said the wall was being raised to ensure adequate security, adding that the wall was so short that people easily scaled it and entered the campus.
Security, she said, had improved greatly with the raising of the wall and the clearing of a grove that used to serve as hideout for intruders, among other things.
On academic performance, Ms Akapame said, the school’s performance had improved over the years with 100 per cent results. She said students who passed through the school qualified for tertiary institution with competitive grades, and that this could be seen in the kinds of professionals the school had churned out over the years.
“Today, we have past students who are doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, entrepreneurs and other professionals who have contributed in diverse ways to the development of the country,” she said.
She said discipline had been another hallmark of the school, and that had also resulted in the positive results of the school.
Ms Akapame commended the old students of the school, Parent-Teacher-Association (PTA) and other organisations for playing various roles to improve facilities on campus, thereby ensuring effective teaching and learning.
She said the school would not rest on its current achievements but do more through the provision of quality education to its students.
14-06-10
THE Accra Girls Senior High School has for the past 50 years made significant contributions to the production of the requisite human resource needs of the country.
The school was built in 1960 as one of the Ghana Education Trust Schools by Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The girls’ school, which started with 12 students, has both day and boarding students.
Today, Accra Girls, which ranks among the top girls’ schools in the country, has a population of 1,100 students with about 50 teaching staff and 51 non-teaching staff. It has three dormitories which accommodate 720 students, while 20 of its teaching staff live on the campus.
The programmes being offered in the school are: General Arts, Science, Business and Vocational Skills (Home Economics and Visual Arts).
With the provision of five decades of quality education, the school has lined up a number of activities to mark its 50th anniversary which began with a launch in October last year.
The year-long event includes a fun fair, games with sister schools, clean-up exercises at the Dzorwulu Special School and Maamobi Polyclinic, a float through the principal streets of Accra, home-coming for old girls, fun games for staff and old girls, a dinner dance and variety entertainment night, which will be climaxed with a speech day and a thanksgiving service in October this year.
A visit to the school revealed that a number of projects were being undertaken to improve and expand facilities on the compound. They include a two-storey 12-unit classroom block and a new dormitory to accommodate about 400 students and raising of the wall around the school. These facilities, among other things, would cater for the first-year students that would be admitted into Form 1 in September this year.
At the time Daily Graphic paid a visit to the school, workers were busy at the projects site. They are expected to finish work before the beginning of the 2010-2011 academic year.
Conducting this reporter round the project facilities, the Headmistress, Ms Veronica Akapame, said both students and staff residential accommodation had been inadequate, adding that some students had to commute from as far as Kasoa and around Dodowa to school every day.
She said steps for the construction of a new dormitory and the renovation of a staff bungalow were being undertaken, and she wished more of those facilities were in place.
On the issue of access to water, she said, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, had promised to solve the problem.
Ms Akapame said the wall was being raised to ensure adequate security, adding that the wall was so short that people easily scaled it and entered the campus.
Security, she said, had improved greatly with the raising of the wall and the clearing of a grove that used to serve as hideout for intruders, among other things.
On academic performance, Ms Akapame said, the school’s performance had improved over the years with 100 per cent results. She said students who passed through the school qualified for tertiary institution with competitive grades, and that this could be seen in the kinds of professionals the school had churned out over the years.
“Today, we have past students who are doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, entrepreneurs and other professionals who have contributed in diverse ways to the development of the country,” she said.
She said discipline had been another hallmark of the school, and that had also resulted in the positive results of the school.
Ms Akapame commended the old students of the school, Parent-Teacher-Association (PTA) and other organisations for playing various roles to improve facilities on campus, thereby ensuring effective teaching and learning.
She said the school would not rest on its current achievements but do more through the provision of quality education to its students.
Basic schools need more teachers
15-06-10
THE Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) need more than 33,000 teachers to meet shortfalls in basic schools across the country.
Figures collated from nine of the 10 regions indicated that there were 33,185 vacancies, while figures from the Upper West Region are yet to be computed.
In the interim, 8,625 teachers have just passed out of the 38 Colleges of Education. They comprise 6,670 general subject teachers; 777 technical school teachers, 170 French teachers and 1,008 Mathematics/Science teachers who would be posted to schools in October.
According to the guidelines developed by the Ghana Education Service for the postings of newly trained teachers, “the 777 technical, 170 French and 1,008 Maths/Science teachers should be posted to junior high schools to first and foremost teach Technical Skills, French, Maths and Science respectively and any other subjects”.
The remaining 6,670 teachers may be posted to teach at either the junior high school or primary level, depending on the demand for teachers.
“The vacancies far exceed the number graduating. These newly trained teachers should first and foremost be posted to fill actual vacancies in deprived/underserved schools,” the guidelines indicated, adding that “teachers who report late or refuse posting by the end of October should be treated as having vacated post and the GES sanctions for vacation of post should be applied”.
The guidelines said the Integrated Payment Payroll Database (IPPD) Unit should be informed about vacation of post cases in order to suspend the affected teachers’ salary.
It said regional/district directors should report such cases of vacation of post to the GES headquarters by the end of November for the necessary action to be taken.
The guidelines explained further that all non-sponsored teacher trainees should be posted to deprived schools and that declared vacancies in the deprived areas should be filled first before the urban areas.
The service, the guidelines indicated, should work out teacher motivation packages for those posted to the deprived areas, adding that where a district was split into two, the mother district should give priority to the newly created district in the allocation of teachers.
“Newly trained teachers who are posted to deprived areas are often exposed to social hazards. It is, therefore, suggested that as much as practicable they should be posted in pairs to deprived areas,” the guidelines indicated.
The list of newly trained teachers allocated to the regions should be sent to the GES headquarters by June 29, 2010 to ensure the payment of their allowances by the end of September.
The guidelines also indicated that district directors were to wait for all newly recruited teachers’ forms to be assembled before processing and forwarding them to the headquarters.
The guidelines said regional and district directors of education were required to ‘market’ their regions and districts to make them attractive.
“District Directors and headteachers should observe and adhere to the recommendations made on the posting forms by Principals of Training Colleges on newly trained teachers to be able to place them appropriately and suitably for effective teaching to take place,” the guidelines also indicated.
THE Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) need more than 33,000 teachers to meet shortfalls in basic schools across the country.
Figures collated from nine of the 10 regions indicated that there were 33,185 vacancies, while figures from the Upper West Region are yet to be computed.
In the interim, 8,625 teachers have just passed out of the 38 Colleges of Education. They comprise 6,670 general subject teachers; 777 technical school teachers, 170 French teachers and 1,008 Mathematics/Science teachers who would be posted to schools in October.
According to the guidelines developed by the Ghana Education Service for the postings of newly trained teachers, “the 777 technical, 170 French and 1,008 Maths/Science teachers should be posted to junior high schools to first and foremost teach Technical Skills, French, Maths and Science respectively and any other subjects”.
The remaining 6,670 teachers may be posted to teach at either the junior high school or primary level, depending on the demand for teachers.
“The vacancies far exceed the number graduating. These newly trained teachers should first and foremost be posted to fill actual vacancies in deprived/underserved schools,” the guidelines indicated, adding that “teachers who report late or refuse posting by the end of October should be treated as having vacated post and the GES sanctions for vacation of post should be applied”.
The guidelines said the Integrated Payment Payroll Database (IPPD) Unit should be informed about vacation of post cases in order to suspend the affected teachers’ salary.
It said regional/district directors should report such cases of vacation of post to the GES headquarters by the end of November for the necessary action to be taken.
The guidelines explained further that all non-sponsored teacher trainees should be posted to deprived schools and that declared vacancies in the deprived areas should be filled first before the urban areas.
The service, the guidelines indicated, should work out teacher motivation packages for those posted to the deprived areas, adding that where a district was split into two, the mother district should give priority to the newly created district in the allocation of teachers.
“Newly trained teachers who are posted to deprived areas are often exposed to social hazards. It is, therefore, suggested that as much as practicable they should be posted in pairs to deprived areas,” the guidelines indicated.
The list of newly trained teachers allocated to the regions should be sent to the GES headquarters by June 29, 2010 to ensure the payment of their allowances by the end of September.
The guidelines also indicated that district directors were to wait for all newly recruited teachers’ forms to be assembled before processing and forwarding them to the headquarters.
The guidelines said regional and district directors of education were required to ‘market’ their regions and districts to make them attractive.
“District Directors and headteachers should observe and adhere to the recommendations made on the posting forms by Principals of Training Colleges on newly trained teachers to be able to place them appropriately and suitably for effective teaching to take place,” the guidelines also indicated.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Squatters invade ministries area
THERE has been an upsurge in illegal trading activities within the Ministries area in Accra, where government’s day-to-day transactions are carried out.
The illegal business activities include the sale of cooked food on the streets within the area, tie and dye materials, coconuts, herbal products and fried yams, among others.
Other hawkers also could be seen meandering their way through the various Ministries to sell their items, which include belts, shoes, used clothing, assorted fruits, watches and groundnuts.
A visit to the area showed some workers and visitors patronising cooked food such as rice, kenkey, tea and confectioneries.
While some were seen eating at the food joints, which are on the streets within the Ministries, others were seen carrying away their food items in black plastic bags to their various offices.
Another feature noticed at the area was how the illegal traders engaged in arguments over issues of politics and sports.
Auntie Ama, one of the canteen operators in the area, said although the illegal trading activities were a nuisance, nobody seemed to bring those behind them to order.
“Now anybody can come and sell here and nobody would say anything and the indiscriminate activities do not speak well of the area,” she said.
“Master, the cost of the food at the canteens in the area is high and we can’t afford it. For instance, at our canteen, if you don’t have GH¢2 or GH¢2.50 you can’t eat but at the roadside, with GH¢ 1, you can get food to buy.
“Even our big men send us to buy from these traders and hawkers,” a worker at one of the Ministries, who wants to remain anonymous, told the Daily Graphic, adding that the issue was a major one that needed to be addressed well.
He said although the activities of the hawkers and traders were a bother, they were rendering invaluable services, and stressed the need for their activities to be streamlined so that their activities did not become a nuisance.
Reacting to the situation, the Director of Finance and Administration of the Office of Head of Civil Service, Mr Ohene Okai, said “the indiscriminate sale of various items anywhere in the Ministries is a big challenge to us”.
He recalled the action taken by a former Minister of Public Sector Reforms, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, to clear the area of such illegal activities.
“It is unfortunate that these traders have found their way back,” adding that he was going to call a meeting of directors next week Tuesday, January 26, 2010, to discuss the matter and find a solution to it.
Mr Okai said such a practice should not be allowed to go on, and that eventually a security firm would be contracted to take charge of the Ministries to enforce actions that would be taken against the illegal traders.
“We have given ourselves up to March 31, 2010 to restore the place to its true status,” he said.
The illegal business activities include the sale of cooked food on the streets within the area, tie and dye materials, coconuts, herbal products and fried yams, among others.
Other hawkers also could be seen meandering their way through the various Ministries to sell their items, which include belts, shoes, used clothing, assorted fruits, watches and groundnuts.
A visit to the area showed some workers and visitors patronising cooked food such as rice, kenkey, tea and confectioneries.
While some were seen eating at the food joints, which are on the streets within the Ministries, others were seen carrying away their food items in black plastic bags to their various offices.
Another feature noticed at the area was how the illegal traders engaged in arguments over issues of politics and sports.
Auntie Ama, one of the canteen operators in the area, said although the illegal trading activities were a nuisance, nobody seemed to bring those behind them to order.
“Now anybody can come and sell here and nobody would say anything and the indiscriminate activities do not speak well of the area,” she said.
“Master, the cost of the food at the canteens in the area is high and we can’t afford it. For instance, at our canteen, if you don’t have GH¢2 or GH¢2.50 you can’t eat but at the roadside, with GH¢ 1, you can get food to buy.
“Even our big men send us to buy from these traders and hawkers,” a worker at one of the Ministries, who wants to remain anonymous, told the Daily Graphic, adding that the issue was a major one that needed to be addressed well.
He said although the activities of the hawkers and traders were a bother, they were rendering invaluable services, and stressed the need for their activities to be streamlined so that their activities did not become a nuisance.
Reacting to the situation, the Director of Finance and Administration of the Office of Head of Civil Service, Mr Ohene Okai, said “the indiscriminate sale of various items anywhere in the Ministries is a big challenge to us”.
He recalled the action taken by a former Minister of Public Sector Reforms, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, to clear the area of such illegal activities.
“It is unfortunate that these traders have found their way back,” adding that he was going to call a meeting of directors next week Tuesday, January 26, 2010, to discuss the matter and find a solution to it.
Mr Okai said such a practice should not be allowed to go on, and that eventually a security firm would be contracted to take charge of the Ministries to enforce actions that would be taken against the illegal traders.
“We have given ourselves up to March 31, 2010 to restore the place to its true status,” he said.
Allow govt to complete investigations ...into allocation of timber rights
Page 38
04-02-10
THE Concerned Timber Operators Association has called on timber firms under investigations over the acquisition of timber rights to harvest timber four years ago to allow the Government more time to conclude its work instead of politicising the matter.
It said its own investigations had shown that some firms did not get the permit to acquire forest reserves through competitive bidding as demanded by law.
The Spokesperson of the Association, Mr Bright Nkeyasen, who made the call in Accra, said the process of awarding plantation timber rights from the 1980s to 2003 was by application to the Forestry Department.
"In 2003, there was an Act of Parliament per Legislative Instrument (LI 1721) to regulate the award of plantation timber rights. Under this law, every award of timber rights was supposed to pass through competitive bidding.
He said with the law, undue favours and other corrupt practices were eliminated, alleging that some former sector Ministers of State as well as a former Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission deliberately disregarded the law".
Mr Nkeyasen, therefore, called on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to halt and withdraw all the illegal permits issued out.
"By Forestry Commission rules, contractors were not to harvest trees below the diameter of 20 centimetres at breath height.
These companies, backed by people in higher authority, fragrantly disregarded those rules and destroyed the plantations by harvesting almost every tree that came their way," he said.
He said as soon as the current minister took office, he should have withdrawn all those illegal permits.
Mr Nkeyasen charged all operators in the industry to hold their peace and allow the minister and the committee set up to conclude the investigations into the issuance of permits to complete their work.
He urged all plantation timber members to support Mr Owusu Amankwah of Jowak company so that his stay on the Board of the Forestry Commission would help address the numerous problems facing the sector.
He also called on the Government to involve the plantation timber operators in the national afforestation project launched recently by the President, Prof J.E.A. Mills.
04-02-10
THE Concerned Timber Operators Association has called on timber firms under investigations over the acquisition of timber rights to harvest timber four years ago to allow the Government more time to conclude its work instead of politicising the matter.
It said its own investigations had shown that some firms did not get the permit to acquire forest reserves through competitive bidding as demanded by law.
The Spokesperson of the Association, Mr Bright Nkeyasen, who made the call in Accra, said the process of awarding plantation timber rights from the 1980s to 2003 was by application to the Forestry Department.
"In 2003, there was an Act of Parliament per Legislative Instrument (LI 1721) to regulate the award of plantation timber rights. Under this law, every award of timber rights was supposed to pass through competitive bidding.
He said with the law, undue favours and other corrupt practices were eliminated, alleging that some former sector Ministers of State as well as a former Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission deliberately disregarded the law".
Mr Nkeyasen, therefore, called on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to halt and withdraw all the illegal permits issued out.
"By Forestry Commission rules, contractors were not to harvest trees below the diameter of 20 centimetres at breath height.
These companies, backed by people in higher authority, fragrantly disregarded those rules and destroyed the plantations by harvesting almost every tree that came their way," he said.
He said as soon as the current minister took office, he should have withdrawn all those illegal permits.
Mr Nkeyasen charged all operators in the industry to hold their peace and allow the minister and the committee set up to conclude the investigations into the issuance of permits to complete their work.
He urged all plantation timber members to support Mr Owusu Amankwah of Jowak company so that his stay on the Board of the Forestry Commission would help address the numerous problems facing the sector.
He also called on the Government to involve the plantation timber operators in the national afforestation project launched recently by the President, Prof J.E.A. Mills.
Kasoa drivers can't increase fares -Alhaji Tetteh
04-02-10
Spread
COMMERCIAL drivers plying the Kasoa-Accra road have defied a directive from the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and significantly increased their fares following the upward adjustment in road and bridge tolls.
The drivers are now charging GH¢1, instead of 65Gp, from Kasoa to Accra and 70Gp from Kasoa to Kaneshie, instead of 55Gp.
There are corresponding increases in the fares charged from Kasoa to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and other parts of Accra.
The situation has generated conflict between drivers and passengers to and from Kasoa and outrage from the GPRTU.
Alhaji E.A. Tetteh, the National Vice-Chairman of the GPRTU, has asked the drivers to disengage from the act, since there had not been any announcement to that effect.
“Nobody should increase fares because we have not announced any new fares,” he emphasised, and indicated that the union’s national executives would meet over the matter, having heard the complaints of the public.
The meeting, he said, would also look at the new road and bridge tolls, after which the executives would meet Mr Joe Gidisu, the Minister of Roads.
When the new tolls came into effect on Monday, February 1, 2010, commercial drivers from Kasoa protested by burning tyres in the middle of the road at Kasoa and also stopped other drivers from picking passengers.
The about 45-minute action of the drivers left a large number of passengers going from Kasoa to Accra stranded. It took the timely intervention of the police to restore order.
Some passengers who spoke to the Daily Graphic said they did not understand why the drivers should show total disregard for the law and refuse to accept the old fares.
They said if the practice was not stopped, there would be total chaos, since it could result in fights between drivers and their mates on the one hand and passengers on the other.
On Tuesday, the government explained that it had been compelled to institute the new road tolls because the Road Fund had been over-committed and unable to fulfil its obligations.
It said the new tolls would, therefore, yield the needed revenue to enable the government to undertake sustainable maintenance of the road network in the country.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr Alex Segbefia, said this at the inauguration of a 14-member Road Fund Management Board, which has Mr Joe Gidisu, the Minister of Roads and Highways, as Chairman, in Accra.
Spread
COMMERCIAL drivers plying the Kasoa-Accra road have defied a directive from the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and significantly increased their fares following the upward adjustment in road and bridge tolls.
The drivers are now charging GH¢1, instead of 65Gp, from Kasoa to Accra and 70Gp from Kasoa to Kaneshie, instead of 55Gp.
There are corresponding increases in the fares charged from Kasoa to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and other parts of Accra.
The situation has generated conflict between drivers and passengers to and from Kasoa and outrage from the GPRTU.
Alhaji E.A. Tetteh, the National Vice-Chairman of the GPRTU, has asked the drivers to disengage from the act, since there had not been any announcement to that effect.
“Nobody should increase fares because we have not announced any new fares,” he emphasised, and indicated that the union’s national executives would meet over the matter, having heard the complaints of the public.
The meeting, he said, would also look at the new road and bridge tolls, after which the executives would meet Mr Joe Gidisu, the Minister of Roads.
When the new tolls came into effect on Monday, February 1, 2010, commercial drivers from Kasoa protested by burning tyres in the middle of the road at Kasoa and also stopped other drivers from picking passengers.
The about 45-minute action of the drivers left a large number of passengers going from Kasoa to Accra stranded. It took the timely intervention of the police to restore order.
Some passengers who spoke to the Daily Graphic said they did not understand why the drivers should show total disregard for the law and refuse to accept the old fares.
They said if the practice was not stopped, there would be total chaos, since it could result in fights between drivers and their mates on the one hand and passengers on the other.
On Tuesday, the government explained that it had been compelled to institute the new road tolls because the Road Fund had been over-committed and unable to fulfil its obligations.
It said the new tolls would, therefore, yield the needed revenue to enable the government to undertake sustainable maintenance of the road network in the country.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr Alex Segbefia, said this at the inauguration of a 14-member Road Fund Management Board, which has Mr Joe Gidisu, the Minister of Roads and Highways, as Chairman, in Accra.
Education Service to meet WAEC -Over admission of 1st batch of 4-year SHS students to varsities
THE Ghana Education Service (GES) is to engage the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the public universities to work out an effective plan for the admission of the first batch of four-year senior high school (SHS) students to the universities next year.
The discussions will focus on the early release of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results by WAEC and a delay in reopening the universities to enable the SHS candidates to get their results to apply for admission in 2011, after writing the WASSCE in May/June 2011.
The Director of the Basic Education Division of the GES, Mr Stephen Adu, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the move stemmed from the fact there would be no WASSCE this year for SHS candidates as a result of the four-year programme.
“There is the need for the discussions to see how we can get those who will complete in May/June next year to enter the universities in the same year to clear the backlog of students, instead of waiting to enter in 2012,” he said, adding that earlier discussions could not be concluded.
Mr Adu said with no students going out this year, the normal academic programme of SHSs would be allowed to run.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government phased out the three-year SHS programme and introduced the four-year programme under the 2007 educational reform.
The first batch of the four-year SHS programme will write the WASSCE next year.
However, Cabinet has given approval for the revision of the four-year programme to three years, taking effect from September this year.
This means that only two batches (the 2007 and 2008 groups) of JHS graduates will go through the four-year SHS programme.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, last week told Parliament that Cabinet had accepted the proposed reversal of SHS education to three years and indicated that school enrolment for the three-year programme should commence in September this year.
He added that Cabinet had also approved the implementation plan for the reversal to three years.
The minister was responding to a question posed on the floor of the House by the MP for Asunafo North, Mr Robert Sarfo-Mensah, who had asked the minister about the outcome of the National Education Forum organised by the government to deliberate on the duration of the SHS system and the amount of money spent to organise the forum.
The minister dismissed suggestions that the forum had not provided any definite outcome on the duration, explaining that the outcome of the forum had been communicated to Cabinet for policy approval for the reversal of the duration of SHS education from four to three years.
The discussions will focus on the early release of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results by WAEC and a delay in reopening the universities to enable the SHS candidates to get their results to apply for admission in 2011, after writing the WASSCE in May/June 2011.
The Director of the Basic Education Division of the GES, Mr Stephen Adu, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the move stemmed from the fact there would be no WASSCE this year for SHS candidates as a result of the four-year programme.
“There is the need for the discussions to see how we can get those who will complete in May/June next year to enter the universities in the same year to clear the backlog of students, instead of waiting to enter in 2012,” he said, adding that earlier discussions could not be concluded.
Mr Adu said with no students going out this year, the normal academic programme of SHSs would be allowed to run.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government phased out the three-year SHS programme and introduced the four-year programme under the 2007 educational reform.
The first batch of the four-year SHS programme will write the WASSCE next year.
However, Cabinet has given approval for the revision of the four-year programme to three years, taking effect from September this year.
This means that only two batches (the 2007 and 2008 groups) of JHS graduates will go through the four-year SHS programme.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, last week told Parliament that Cabinet had accepted the proposed reversal of SHS education to three years and indicated that school enrolment for the three-year programme should commence in September this year.
He added that Cabinet had also approved the implementation plan for the reversal to three years.
The minister was responding to a question posed on the floor of the House by the MP for Asunafo North, Mr Robert Sarfo-Mensah, who had asked the minister about the outcome of the National Education Forum organised by the government to deliberate on the duration of the SHS system and the amount of money spent to organise the forum.
The minister dismissed suggestions that the forum had not provided any definite outcome on the duration, explaining that the outcome of the forum had been communicated to Cabinet for policy approval for the reversal of the duration of SHS education from four to three years.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Textile industry faces gloom future
Spread lead
02-02-10
PLAYERS in the local textile manufacturing business have warned that the closure of the Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL), which was announced yesterday, can signal the final demise of the industry in the country.
They said with the closure of ATL, a similar fate awaits Printex and Ghana Textiles Printing (GTP) Limited, the only survivors in the local industry, if immediate action is not taken by policy makers to salvage the situation.
Citing shortage of raw materials, the management of ATL yesterday announced the closure of the largest textile manufacturer in the country and asked the 1,600 workers to go home.
Notice to that effect had earlier been put up by the management of the company last Saturday, indicating that due to the shortage of cotton and black oil, production had ceased and the workers had to go home.
It said workers who had to provide essential services would be duly notified.
But the General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Mr Abraham Koomson, has described the directive as being “borne out of desperation” because for some time now ATL had run out of raw materials for the manufacture of textiles and was engaged in supplies, hence the closure.
He said the management of ATL had subsequently apologised and assured the workers that the closure was temporary, while workers would be better engaged in all such initiatives in the future.
Mr Koomson said the flooding of the country with cheap textiles and the high cost of production, making textiles produced in the country uncompetitive on the local market, resulting in unfair competition, could bring about the imminent closure of Printex and GTP if appropriate action was not taken now.
He said it would also mean the laying off of about 3,000 workers in the sector, of which 1,600 were currently at home.
Mr Koomson said the importation of cheap textiles and the high cost of production had been long-standing issues that needed the commitment of the political leadership to deal with now.
He said all seized textile materials smuggled into the country should either be burnt or destroyed through other processes to prevent them from finding their way onto the local market to deter people from continuing to engage in smuggling, since they had led to the collapse of textile companies and made the state lose billions of cedis.
“These cheap smuggled textiles with the designs of local textile companies must be destroyed when impounded because they are killing the local industry. This must not be allowed to go on; after all, countries such as Cote d’Ivoire and Tanzania have adopted similar measures to protect their local industries,” Mr Koomson said in an interview with the Daily Graphic.
He said, for instance, that from a total workforce of 25,000, the industry now had 3,000 workers and attributed the problem to the influx of cheap textiles onto the local market.
In addition, he said Ghana lost heavily (¢300 billion) in 2002-2003 as a result of the smuggling of textiles into the country.
He said in March last year Tanzania destroyed counterfeit and smuggled goods worth more than $224,000, while the Sharjah municipality in the United Arab Emirates destroyed 30,000 counterfeit auto parts last year following raids on warehouses, with more than 28,000 counterfeit goods, made up of CDs, among others, being destroyed in Australia.
Mr Koomson said seized materials should not be sold or auctioned in any way on the Ghanaian market, noting that once that was done, it would legitimise the illegal trade.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the local union at ATL, Mr Gustav Darkoh, when contacted, said management had met with executives of the union and assured them that production would resume as soon as the consignment of raw materials were received.
He said workers were hopeful that they would be recalled soon.
Meanwhile, most of them did not report for work on Monday because of the notice.
02-02-10
PLAYERS in the local textile manufacturing business have warned that the closure of the Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL), which was announced yesterday, can signal the final demise of the industry in the country.
They said with the closure of ATL, a similar fate awaits Printex and Ghana Textiles Printing (GTP) Limited, the only survivors in the local industry, if immediate action is not taken by policy makers to salvage the situation.
Citing shortage of raw materials, the management of ATL yesterday announced the closure of the largest textile manufacturer in the country and asked the 1,600 workers to go home.
Notice to that effect had earlier been put up by the management of the company last Saturday, indicating that due to the shortage of cotton and black oil, production had ceased and the workers had to go home.
It said workers who had to provide essential services would be duly notified.
But the General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Mr Abraham Koomson, has described the directive as being “borne out of desperation” because for some time now ATL had run out of raw materials for the manufacture of textiles and was engaged in supplies, hence the closure.
He said the management of ATL had subsequently apologised and assured the workers that the closure was temporary, while workers would be better engaged in all such initiatives in the future.
Mr Koomson said the flooding of the country with cheap textiles and the high cost of production, making textiles produced in the country uncompetitive on the local market, resulting in unfair competition, could bring about the imminent closure of Printex and GTP if appropriate action was not taken now.
He said it would also mean the laying off of about 3,000 workers in the sector, of which 1,600 were currently at home.
Mr Koomson said the importation of cheap textiles and the high cost of production had been long-standing issues that needed the commitment of the political leadership to deal with now.
He said all seized textile materials smuggled into the country should either be burnt or destroyed through other processes to prevent them from finding their way onto the local market to deter people from continuing to engage in smuggling, since they had led to the collapse of textile companies and made the state lose billions of cedis.
“These cheap smuggled textiles with the designs of local textile companies must be destroyed when impounded because they are killing the local industry. This must not be allowed to go on; after all, countries such as Cote d’Ivoire and Tanzania have adopted similar measures to protect their local industries,” Mr Koomson said in an interview with the Daily Graphic.
He said, for instance, that from a total workforce of 25,000, the industry now had 3,000 workers and attributed the problem to the influx of cheap textiles onto the local market.
In addition, he said Ghana lost heavily (¢300 billion) in 2002-2003 as a result of the smuggling of textiles into the country.
He said in March last year Tanzania destroyed counterfeit and smuggled goods worth more than $224,000, while the Sharjah municipality in the United Arab Emirates destroyed 30,000 counterfeit auto parts last year following raids on warehouses, with more than 28,000 counterfeit goods, made up of CDs, among others, being destroyed in Australia.
Mr Koomson said seized materials should not be sold or auctioned in any way on the Ghanaian market, noting that once that was done, it would legitimise the illegal trade.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the local union at ATL, Mr Gustav Darkoh, when contacted, said management had met with executives of the union and assured them that production would resume as soon as the consignment of raw materials were received.
He said workers were hopeful that they would be recalled soon.
Meanwhile, most of them did not report for work on Monday because of the notice.
Road tolls stand-off
Page 1 lead
02-02-10
There were initial protests by some drivers, particularly commercial drivers, when the new road and bridge tolls went into force yesterday.
At Kasoa in the Central Region, on the Accra-Tema Motorway and at Tabre and Aboaso in the Ashanti Region, the new tolls attracted protests from drivers who complained of the high percentage increase in the tolls. Indeed, some of them who spoke to the Daily Graphic threatened to increase lorry fares “to make up for the increase in the tolls imposed on us”.
On the Kasoa-Accra route, some drivers, especially commercial (trotro) drivers, displayed their displeasure by burning tyres in the middle of the road at Kasoa and also stopped other drivers from picking passengers.
The about 45-minute action of the drivers left a large number of passengers coming from Kasoa to Accra stranded. The passengers had no choice but to walk, some as far as beyond the toll booths to catch empty vehicles that had made U-turns back to Accra.
It took the timely intervention of the police to restore order.
The Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Union (MTTU), ACP Daniel Avorga, had to personally move to the area with his men to talk to the protesters to call off their action.
According to the drivers, the increase in the toll for trotros from 8Gp to GH¢1 was too high, as it was going to affect their daily sales.
Two of such drivers, Messrs Kofi Mensah and Abdul Karim, said they plied the Kasoa-Accra road about six times a day, noting that they normally returned to Accra with empty vehicles and wondered how they could meet their daily sales with the new toll.
They, together with other drivers, suggested that the payment of the toll be made only once, instead of each time a driver used the road.
At the time the Daily Graphic got to the toll booth about 8.30 a.m., there was a long queue of vehicles coming from the Kasoa end.
In an interview, the toll collectors noted that some of the drivers gave them big denominations to pay the tolls which resulted in delays because they (the toll collectors) spent longer time getting the drivers change.
For his part, the Supervisor of the toll collectors, Mr Thomas Hammond, said apart from the lack of change, drivers took some time to pay when they got to the toll booths, complaining of the new tolls.
He said some of the drivers complained that they were unaware of the new tolls and spent time complaining before paying the new tolls.
Mr Hammond said having been aware of the take-off of the new tolls, the collectors who were off duty were brought in to assist their colleagues who were on duty, adding that that was to quicken the process of issuing the toll receipts.
He expressed the hope that the situation was going to improve as the days went by, promising that he had made orders for smaller denominations for the issuance of change to drivers who brought bigger denominations.
For his part, Commander Avorga suggested to Mr Hammond to dispatch more toll collectors in the queue so that when the drivers got to the toll booths, they would only issue their receipts and move on.
He said more policemen were going to be sent to the area to ensure order, saying that the police would be there till order was restored.
At the Tabre and Aboaso toll booths, there was drama when motorists engaged in heated arguments with toll collectors, complaining that the increase was too high.
According to the drivers, the authorities did not take the present socio-economic situation in the country, especially current lorry fares, into consideration before coming out with the increase in the tolls.
Some of the drivers who spoke to the Daily Graphic threatened to increase lorry fares to make up for the increase in the tolls.
While the drivers delayed in paying to collect their tickets at the toll booths, many of them heaped insults on the collectors before driving away.
At the Tabre toll booth, vehicular traffic had jammed for almost a kilometre from the Akropong Junction to the collection point at the time Daily Graphic reached there.
While some drivers readily paid their tolls at the booth, others complained that they had not heard of the increase and, therefore, waited for some minutes before agreeing to pay.
There was heavy traffic at the Aboaso–Mampong toll booth in the Ashanti Region around 10 a.m. when the Daily Graphic got there.
The presence of armed policemen at both the Tabre and the Aboaso toll booths, however, prevented the drivers from overreacting.
The new tolls, which took effect from yesterday, followed an approval by Parliament of new road and bridge tolls under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, Act 793, which has been signed into law by the President.
According to an advertisement placed in the media, motorbikes which previously were exempted from the payment of tolls are to pay 10Gp; saloon cars which used to pay 5Gp are now to pay 50Gp, while pick-ups and light buses will pay GH¢1, from the 8Gp they used to pay.
The others are mummy wagons, GH¢1; heavy buses and light goods truck (two axles), GH¢1.50; medium goods truck (three axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (four axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (five or more axles) GH¢2.50; agricultural tractors, 50Gp, and agricultural tractors with trailer, 50Gp.
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, explained that the increases in road and bridge tolls were intended to mobilise more resources for the construction and maintenance of roads.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Gidisu said the cost of maintaining roads in the country had gone up astronomically, hence the need for the increment.
He, therefore, appealed to drivers to accept the new rates, since it was with good intentions that they were being introduced, adding that road tolls had remained the same for the past 11 years, although the cost of road maintenance over the period had gone up.
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) last week urged the drivers to accept the new tolls.
02-02-10
There were initial protests by some drivers, particularly commercial drivers, when the new road and bridge tolls went into force yesterday.
At Kasoa in the Central Region, on the Accra-Tema Motorway and at Tabre and Aboaso in the Ashanti Region, the new tolls attracted protests from drivers who complained of the high percentage increase in the tolls. Indeed, some of them who spoke to the Daily Graphic threatened to increase lorry fares “to make up for the increase in the tolls imposed on us”.
On the Kasoa-Accra route, some drivers, especially commercial (trotro) drivers, displayed their displeasure by burning tyres in the middle of the road at Kasoa and also stopped other drivers from picking passengers.
The about 45-minute action of the drivers left a large number of passengers coming from Kasoa to Accra stranded. The passengers had no choice but to walk, some as far as beyond the toll booths to catch empty vehicles that had made U-turns back to Accra.
It took the timely intervention of the police to restore order.
The Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Union (MTTU), ACP Daniel Avorga, had to personally move to the area with his men to talk to the protesters to call off their action.
According to the drivers, the increase in the toll for trotros from 8Gp to GH¢1 was too high, as it was going to affect their daily sales.
Two of such drivers, Messrs Kofi Mensah and Abdul Karim, said they plied the Kasoa-Accra road about six times a day, noting that they normally returned to Accra with empty vehicles and wondered how they could meet their daily sales with the new toll.
They, together with other drivers, suggested that the payment of the toll be made only once, instead of each time a driver used the road.
At the time the Daily Graphic got to the toll booth about 8.30 a.m., there was a long queue of vehicles coming from the Kasoa end.
In an interview, the toll collectors noted that some of the drivers gave them big denominations to pay the tolls which resulted in delays because they (the toll collectors) spent longer time getting the drivers change.
For his part, the Supervisor of the toll collectors, Mr Thomas Hammond, said apart from the lack of change, drivers took some time to pay when they got to the toll booths, complaining of the new tolls.
He said some of the drivers complained that they were unaware of the new tolls and spent time complaining before paying the new tolls.
Mr Hammond said having been aware of the take-off of the new tolls, the collectors who were off duty were brought in to assist their colleagues who were on duty, adding that that was to quicken the process of issuing the toll receipts.
He expressed the hope that the situation was going to improve as the days went by, promising that he had made orders for smaller denominations for the issuance of change to drivers who brought bigger denominations.
For his part, Commander Avorga suggested to Mr Hammond to dispatch more toll collectors in the queue so that when the drivers got to the toll booths, they would only issue their receipts and move on.
He said more policemen were going to be sent to the area to ensure order, saying that the police would be there till order was restored.
At the Tabre and Aboaso toll booths, there was drama when motorists engaged in heated arguments with toll collectors, complaining that the increase was too high.
According to the drivers, the authorities did not take the present socio-economic situation in the country, especially current lorry fares, into consideration before coming out with the increase in the tolls.
Some of the drivers who spoke to the Daily Graphic threatened to increase lorry fares to make up for the increase in the tolls.
While the drivers delayed in paying to collect their tickets at the toll booths, many of them heaped insults on the collectors before driving away.
At the Tabre toll booth, vehicular traffic had jammed for almost a kilometre from the Akropong Junction to the collection point at the time Daily Graphic reached there.
While some drivers readily paid their tolls at the booth, others complained that they had not heard of the increase and, therefore, waited for some minutes before agreeing to pay.
There was heavy traffic at the Aboaso–Mampong toll booth in the Ashanti Region around 10 a.m. when the Daily Graphic got there.
The presence of armed policemen at both the Tabre and the Aboaso toll booths, however, prevented the drivers from overreacting.
The new tolls, which took effect from yesterday, followed an approval by Parliament of new road and bridge tolls under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, Act 793, which has been signed into law by the President.
According to an advertisement placed in the media, motorbikes which previously were exempted from the payment of tolls are to pay 10Gp; saloon cars which used to pay 5Gp are now to pay 50Gp, while pick-ups and light buses will pay GH¢1, from the 8Gp they used to pay.
The others are mummy wagons, GH¢1; heavy buses and light goods truck (two axles), GH¢1.50; medium goods truck (three axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (four axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (five or more axles) GH¢2.50; agricultural tractors, 50Gp, and agricultural tractors with trailer, 50Gp.
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, explained that the increases in road and bridge tolls were intended to mobilise more resources for the construction and maintenance of roads.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Gidisu said the cost of maintaining roads in the country had gone up astronomically, hence the need for the increment.
He, therefore, appealed to drivers to accept the new rates, since it was with good intentions that they were being introduced, adding that road tolls had remained the same for the past 11 years, although the cost of road maintenance over the period had gone up.
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) last week urged the drivers to accept the new tolls.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Comply with new road tolls -GPRTU
28-01-10
THE National Vice-Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Alhaji Tetteh, has advised members of the union to comply with the payment of the new daily road tolls that will take effect from February 1, 2010.
He said although the tolls were “too high”, members were duty bound to comply with the new rates, since they had been approved and passed into law by Parliament.
“Honestly speaking, the new tolls are too high. However, as citizens, we are duty bound to comply,” Alhaji Tetteh told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
He explained that with the increment, “it means that a commercial bus driver from Ho in the Volta Region will pay GH¢1 at the Adomi Bridge, GH¢1 at the Afienya Barrier and GH¢1 at the Motorway before reaching his destination”.
The new tolls followed an approval by Parliament of new road and bridge tolls under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, Act 793, which has been signed into law by the President.
According to an advertisement placed in the media, motorbikes which previously were exempted from the payment of tolls are to pay 10Gp; saloon cars which used to pay 5Gp are now to pay 50Gp, while pick-ups and light buses will pay GH¢1, from the 8Gp they used to pay.
The others are mummy wagons, GH¢1; heavy buses and light goods truck (two axles), GH¢1.50; medium goods truck (three axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (four axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (five or more axles) GH¢2.50; agricultural tractor, 50Gp and agricultural tractor with trailer, 50Gp.
Alhaji Tetteh, who is also the Chairman of the Greater Accra GPRTU, suggested that the tolls be paid once a day, instead of the number of times a driver used a particular stretch of road.
He indicated that the union should have been consulted before the new tolls were introduced, since drivers’ associations were major stakeholders in the transport sector.
“We are normally consulted on such matters but this time we were not consulted. However, once it is law, we are asking our members to comply,” he said.
Alhaji Tetteh said the GPRTU could not do anything about the situation, except complain.
He expressed the hope that the union would be consulted in the drafting of future road tolls so that it would be acceptable to all.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic on Monday, January 25, 2010, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, explained that the increases in road and bridge tolls introduced by the government were intended to mobilise more resources for the construction and maintenance of roads.
THE National Vice-Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Alhaji Tetteh, has advised members of the union to comply with the payment of the new daily road tolls that will take effect from February 1, 2010.
He said although the tolls were “too high”, members were duty bound to comply with the new rates, since they had been approved and passed into law by Parliament.
“Honestly speaking, the new tolls are too high. However, as citizens, we are duty bound to comply,” Alhaji Tetteh told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
He explained that with the increment, “it means that a commercial bus driver from Ho in the Volta Region will pay GH¢1 at the Adomi Bridge, GH¢1 at the Afienya Barrier and GH¢1 at the Motorway before reaching his destination”.
The new tolls followed an approval by Parliament of new road and bridge tolls under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, Act 793, which has been signed into law by the President.
According to an advertisement placed in the media, motorbikes which previously were exempted from the payment of tolls are to pay 10Gp; saloon cars which used to pay 5Gp are now to pay 50Gp, while pick-ups and light buses will pay GH¢1, from the 8Gp they used to pay.
The others are mummy wagons, GH¢1; heavy buses and light goods truck (two axles), GH¢1.50; medium goods truck (three axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (four axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (five or more axles) GH¢2.50; agricultural tractor, 50Gp and agricultural tractor with trailer, 50Gp.
Alhaji Tetteh, who is also the Chairman of the Greater Accra GPRTU, suggested that the tolls be paid once a day, instead of the number of times a driver used a particular stretch of road.
He indicated that the union should have been consulted before the new tolls were introduced, since drivers’ associations were major stakeholders in the transport sector.
“We are normally consulted on such matters but this time we were not consulted. However, once it is law, we are asking our members to comply,” he said.
Alhaji Tetteh said the GPRTU could not do anything about the situation, except complain.
He expressed the hope that the union would be consulted in the drafting of future road tolls so that it would be acceptable to all.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic on Monday, January 25, 2010, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, explained that the increases in road and bridge tolls introduced by the government were intended to mobilise more resources for the construction and maintenance of roads.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Stop political harassment of EO Group -AFAG
THE Alliance For Accountable Government (AFAG) has called on the government to stop what they described as the political harassment of the EO Group.
It noted that the 25 charges said to have been preferred against the EO Group were politically motivated and calculated to dent the image of Mr George Owusu and Dr Bawuah Edusei in the corporate world and devalue Kosmos’s shares.
"The raiding of the office and residence of George Owusu by the police; the intimidation by the Attorney General to Kosmos USA to terminate the appointment of George Owusu and the freezing of his bank accounts and assets since November 2009 are ominous signs," a leading member of AFAG, Mr Anthony Karbo, said at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday.
He said but for the perseverance of the EO Group, after being rejected by 12 oil companies in the US, Ghana would not have found the Jubilee Oilfield, adding that the alliance had established that as of 2002, all major oil companies regarded oil exploration in Ghana as high-risk and a graveyard.
Mr Karbo said that led to the departure of companies such as Hunt Oil in 1999, Fusion Oil and Gas from Australia in 1999, Sate Fe in 2000, Nuevo in 2002 and Dana in 2005, and explained that "all the wells drilled by these companies yielded no viable commercial discoveries".
He said with the help of Greater Houston Partnership, a major business group in Houston, Texas dedicated to the promotion of business between Houston, Texas companies and the rest of the world, the EO Group organised a conference in Houston to enable Ghana's energy experts from the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) and the Energy Ministry address the conference participants on the offshore hydrocarbon potentials in the country.
The EO Group, he said, then facilitated a visit to Ghana by Vanco Energy which resulted in Vanco taking an oil exploration block in the country.
"The EO Group, without making any success with Vanco, solicited interest from other companies, including Texaco, Oxy, Shell, the Chinese oil company but they were all reluctant to come to Ghana due to the risk (it costs $1 million a day to drill an oil well. It can cost up to $80 million to drill one oil well)," it said.
Mr Karbo said it was ironical that the China oil company which refused an offer by the EO Group to explore oil in Ghana in 2003 was now in a position to buy the $4 billion shares of Kosmos.
In December 2003, he said, the EO Group came into contact with the technical personnel of Kosmos Energy whose primary focus was to explore high-risk petroleum prospects in Africa, and that "the EO Group and Kosmos on the sidelines entered into private negotiations in which EO was given 3.5 per cent working interest".
"Furthermore, the EO share of 3.5 per cent is not deductible from the government of Ghana's shares but from Kosmos," he emphasised, and stated that "this cannot be said to causing financial loss to the state".
Mr Karbo said the deal of 90 per cent to the exploring private firm and 10 per cent to the state was introduced by Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, then GNPC Boss as an enticement sufficient enough to bring foreign experts to explore at their own cost.
"Such is the case of the agreement between Ghana (10 per cent) and Dana (90 per cent), Ghana (10 per cent) and Hunt Oil (90 per cent) and also that of Ghana (10 per cent) and Nuevo (90 per cent), all signed by Mr Tsatsu Tsikata in 1998, 1997 and 1999 respectively.”
In any case, he said, it was documented that most oil companies prior to their exploration made a deal of 10 per cent of net returns to Ghana and 90 per cent to the firm, and that that provision had been there before the EO Group joined in the search and it was in accordance with the Ghana Petroleum Law, approved by the GNPC Board, the Ministry of Energy and Cabinet, and unanimously ratified by Parliament in July 2004.
Mr Karbo said Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom was then Energy Minister, and he signed the agreement prior to the required paperwork, and questioned the silence of Haruna Iddrisu, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho, Moses Asaga and Dr Kwame Ampofo, who were part of the Parliamentary Select Committee that worked on the agreement.
"If the AG's outfit has any questions arising out of a deal that has been ratified by Parliament, the most appropriate forum to seek redress is the Supreme Court," he said, adding "we are also aware that Anadarko Petroleum's (the main oil rig operator in the Jubilee Oilfield) preliminary investigations in accordance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for any possible fraudulent dealings had the EO Group exonerated.
It noted that the 25 charges said to have been preferred against the EO Group were politically motivated and calculated to dent the image of Mr George Owusu and Dr Bawuah Edusei in the corporate world and devalue Kosmos’s shares.
"The raiding of the office and residence of George Owusu by the police; the intimidation by the Attorney General to Kosmos USA to terminate the appointment of George Owusu and the freezing of his bank accounts and assets since November 2009 are ominous signs," a leading member of AFAG, Mr Anthony Karbo, said at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday.
He said but for the perseverance of the EO Group, after being rejected by 12 oil companies in the US, Ghana would not have found the Jubilee Oilfield, adding that the alliance had established that as of 2002, all major oil companies regarded oil exploration in Ghana as high-risk and a graveyard.
Mr Karbo said that led to the departure of companies such as Hunt Oil in 1999, Fusion Oil and Gas from Australia in 1999, Sate Fe in 2000, Nuevo in 2002 and Dana in 2005, and explained that "all the wells drilled by these companies yielded no viable commercial discoveries".
He said with the help of Greater Houston Partnership, a major business group in Houston, Texas dedicated to the promotion of business between Houston, Texas companies and the rest of the world, the EO Group organised a conference in Houston to enable Ghana's energy experts from the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) and the Energy Ministry address the conference participants on the offshore hydrocarbon potentials in the country.
The EO Group, he said, then facilitated a visit to Ghana by Vanco Energy which resulted in Vanco taking an oil exploration block in the country.
"The EO Group, without making any success with Vanco, solicited interest from other companies, including Texaco, Oxy, Shell, the Chinese oil company but they were all reluctant to come to Ghana due to the risk (it costs $1 million a day to drill an oil well. It can cost up to $80 million to drill one oil well)," it said.
Mr Karbo said it was ironical that the China oil company which refused an offer by the EO Group to explore oil in Ghana in 2003 was now in a position to buy the $4 billion shares of Kosmos.
In December 2003, he said, the EO Group came into contact with the technical personnel of Kosmos Energy whose primary focus was to explore high-risk petroleum prospects in Africa, and that "the EO Group and Kosmos on the sidelines entered into private negotiations in which EO was given 3.5 per cent working interest".
"Furthermore, the EO share of 3.5 per cent is not deductible from the government of Ghana's shares but from Kosmos," he emphasised, and stated that "this cannot be said to causing financial loss to the state".
Mr Karbo said the deal of 90 per cent to the exploring private firm and 10 per cent to the state was introduced by Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, then GNPC Boss as an enticement sufficient enough to bring foreign experts to explore at their own cost.
"Such is the case of the agreement between Ghana (10 per cent) and Dana (90 per cent), Ghana (10 per cent) and Hunt Oil (90 per cent) and also that of Ghana (10 per cent) and Nuevo (90 per cent), all signed by Mr Tsatsu Tsikata in 1998, 1997 and 1999 respectively.”
In any case, he said, it was documented that most oil companies prior to their exploration made a deal of 10 per cent of net returns to Ghana and 90 per cent to the firm, and that that provision had been there before the EO Group joined in the search and it was in accordance with the Ghana Petroleum Law, approved by the GNPC Board, the Ministry of Energy and Cabinet, and unanimously ratified by Parliament in July 2004.
Mr Karbo said Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom was then Energy Minister, and he signed the agreement prior to the required paperwork, and questioned the silence of Haruna Iddrisu, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho, Moses Asaga and Dr Kwame Ampofo, who were part of the Parliamentary Select Committee that worked on the agreement.
"If the AG's outfit has any questions arising out of a deal that has been ratified by Parliament, the most appropriate forum to seek redress is the Supreme Court," he said, adding "we are also aware that Anadarko Petroleum's (the main oil rig operator in the Jubilee Oilfield) preliminary investigations in accordance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for any possible fraudulent dealings had the EO Group exonerated.
Road tolls take off February 1
26-01-10
Page 3
THE Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, has explained that the increases in road and bridge tolls introduced by the government are intended to mobilise more resources for the construction and maintenance of roads.
However, commercial drivers have raised concern over the rate of increment, saying the measure was detrimental to their operations.
The new tolls, which will take effect from February 1, 2010, followed an approval by Parliament of new road and bridge tolls under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, Act 793, which has been signed into law by the President.
According to an advertisement placed in the media, motorbikes which previously were exempted from the payment of tolls are to pay 10Gp; saloon cars which used to pay 5Gp are now to pay 50Gp, while pick-ups and light buses will pay GH¢1, from the 8Gp they used to pay.
The others are mummy wagons, GH¢1; heavy buses and light goods truck (two axles), GH¢1.50; medium goods truck (three axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (four axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (five or more axles) GH¢2.50; agricultural tractor, 50Gp and agricultural tractor with trailer, 50Gp.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Gidisu said the cost of maintaining roads in the country had gone up astronomically, hence the need for the increment.
He, therefore, appealed to drivers to accept the new rates, since it was with good intentions that they were being introduced, adding that road tolls had remained the same for the past 11 years, although the cost of road maintenance over the period had gone up.
“The tolls are for the general maintenance of road networks throughout the country,” he said.
In separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, however, drivers and GPRTU officials said the increment was too much and needed to be reviewed.
The CMB-Kasoa GPRTU Chairman, Mr J.Q. Otoo, said the increment would go a long way to compound the problems of drivers.
A driver, Tahiru Moro, said currently drivers were paying 8Gp at the Kasoa toll booth and that increasing the toll to GH¢1 was too astronomical.
“It means that when you go on six trips you have to pay GH¢6. Sometimes when we go we come back with empty vehicles,” he stated, and suggested that “it will be okay if the toll is paid once a day”.
The Secretary of the Circle-Nkawkaw PROTOA Branch, Mr Gilbert Oppong, said the increase should have been done in consultation with the executives of drivers’ unions so that the impression was not created that the new rates were being imposed on drivers.
He said although he would ask his drivers to pay the new rates, the local branch would make a representation to the national executives for a review.
Mr Daniel Kwasi Yeboah, the Chairman of the Circle-Nkawkaw PROTOA branch, who shared the sentiments of his colleague, stressed the need for proper education before the implementation of the new rates, since drivers did not understand the rationale behind the increase.
Mr Benjamin Donkor and Kweku Owusu, both saloon car drivers who operate from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Tema, said the increase was just too much.
They said with lorry fares remaining the same and fuel prices going up in recent months, their plight would be worsened with the new toll rates.
“Apart from the tolls we pay, we make other petty payments at the lorry park,” Mr Owusu said.
Messrs Stephen Baah and Kweku Solomon, both drivers at the Circle-Ashaiman Station, said there was no need for the increase, since lorry fares had remained the same, in spite of increases in fuel prices.
Page 3
THE Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, has explained that the increases in road and bridge tolls introduced by the government are intended to mobilise more resources for the construction and maintenance of roads.
However, commercial drivers have raised concern over the rate of increment, saying the measure was detrimental to their operations.
The new tolls, which will take effect from February 1, 2010, followed an approval by Parliament of new road and bridge tolls under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, Act 793, which has been signed into law by the President.
According to an advertisement placed in the media, motorbikes which previously were exempted from the payment of tolls are to pay 10Gp; saloon cars which used to pay 5Gp are now to pay 50Gp, while pick-ups and light buses will pay GH¢1, from the 8Gp they used to pay.
The others are mummy wagons, GH¢1; heavy buses and light goods truck (two axles), GH¢1.50; medium goods truck (three axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (four axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (five or more axles) GH¢2.50; agricultural tractor, 50Gp and agricultural tractor with trailer, 50Gp.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Gidisu said the cost of maintaining roads in the country had gone up astronomically, hence the need for the increment.
He, therefore, appealed to drivers to accept the new rates, since it was with good intentions that they were being introduced, adding that road tolls had remained the same for the past 11 years, although the cost of road maintenance over the period had gone up.
“The tolls are for the general maintenance of road networks throughout the country,” he said.
In separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, however, drivers and GPRTU officials said the increment was too much and needed to be reviewed.
The CMB-Kasoa GPRTU Chairman, Mr J.Q. Otoo, said the increment would go a long way to compound the problems of drivers.
A driver, Tahiru Moro, said currently drivers were paying 8Gp at the Kasoa toll booth and that increasing the toll to GH¢1 was too astronomical.
“It means that when you go on six trips you have to pay GH¢6. Sometimes when we go we come back with empty vehicles,” he stated, and suggested that “it will be okay if the toll is paid once a day”.
The Secretary of the Circle-Nkawkaw PROTOA Branch, Mr Gilbert Oppong, said the increase should have been done in consultation with the executives of drivers’ unions so that the impression was not created that the new rates were being imposed on drivers.
He said although he would ask his drivers to pay the new rates, the local branch would make a representation to the national executives for a review.
Mr Daniel Kwasi Yeboah, the Chairman of the Circle-Nkawkaw PROTOA branch, who shared the sentiments of his colleague, stressed the need for proper education before the implementation of the new rates, since drivers did not understand the rationale behind the increase.
Mr Benjamin Donkor and Kweku Owusu, both saloon car drivers who operate from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Tema, said the increase was just too much.
They said with lorry fares remaining the same and fuel prices going up in recent months, their plight would be worsened with the new toll rates.
“Apart from the tolls we pay, we make other petty payments at the lorry park,” Mr Owusu said.
Messrs Stephen Baah and Kweku Solomon, both drivers at the Circle-Ashaiman Station, said there was no need for the increase, since lorry fares had remained the same, in spite of increases in fuel prices.
Encroached school lands to be reclaimed -Ministry assures
25-01-10
Page 11
A NATIONWIDE exercise by the Ministry of Education to reclaim and protect school lands that have been encroached upon is to commence soon.
The Head of the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Education, Mr Paul Krampa, who made this known to the Daily Graphic in Accra, said many school lands had been encroached upon and pointed out that the programme to retrieve the school lands, which would be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, would involve traditional rulers and district assemblies.
Mr Krampa said the district assemblies and chiefs would be key in the programme to retrieve and protect school lands.
Currently, there are 496 senior high schools,
7,656 junior high schools and 13,510 primary schools. Each of these categories has lands that have been encroached upon by private developers.
In Accra, for instance, one school whose land has been heavily encroached upon is the Christian Methodist Senior High School at New Aplaku in the Ga South District of the Greater Accra Region.
One notable feature on the school compound is the construction of a building in between the school administration block and the girls dormitory.
According to Mr Krampa, the situation was worrying and charged people in communities where schools were sited to protect school lands since they were for the benefit of society.
“People in the communities where the schools are must help protect the school lands from being encroached upon. They are on the ground and must assist”, he said.
He also advised private developers to desist from building on school lands as that was tantamount to depriving people, especially children, of having access to education.
During a visit to the Christian Methodist Senior High School, for instance, the Director- General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, said action was going to be taken to retrieve the school lands that had been encroached upon.
He said it was so sad that individuals could take the law into their own hands and sell school lands.
Page 11
A NATIONWIDE exercise by the Ministry of Education to reclaim and protect school lands that have been encroached upon is to commence soon.
The Head of the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Education, Mr Paul Krampa, who made this known to the Daily Graphic in Accra, said many school lands had been encroached upon and pointed out that the programme to retrieve the school lands, which would be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, would involve traditional rulers and district assemblies.
Mr Krampa said the district assemblies and chiefs would be key in the programme to retrieve and protect school lands.
Currently, there are 496 senior high schools,
7,656 junior high schools and 13,510 primary schools. Each of these categories has lands that have been encroached upon by private developers.
In Accra, for instance, one school whose land has been heavily encroached upon is the Christian Methodist Senior High School at New Aplaku in the Ga South District of the Greater Accra Region.
One notable feature on the school compound is the construction of a building in between the school administration block and the girls dormitory.
According to Mr Krampa, the situation was worrying and charged people in communities where schools were sited to protect school lands since they were for the benefit of society.
“People in the communities where the schools are must help protect the school lands from being encroached upon. They are on the ground and must assist”, he said.
He also advised private developers to desist from building on school lands as that was tantamount to depriving people, especially children, of having access to education.
During a visit to the Christian Methodist Senior High School, for instance, the Director- General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, said action was going to be taken to retrieve the school lands that had been encroached upon.
He said it was so sad that individuals could take the law into their own hands and sell school lands.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Agya Appiah donates to Weija Leprosarium
21-01-10
THE Chief Executive Officer of Agya Appiah Alternative Herbal Medicine, Mr Agya Appiah, has called on the Ministry of Health to consider treating with leprosy in their homes so that they feel part of the society and not be ostracised.
That, he said, was to help address the problem of stigmatisation.
Mr Appiah said this when he presented items worth GHC 2000 and a cash of GHC 1000 to the Weija Leproserium in Accra.
The donation which was the third in three years was made up of four bags of rice, four bags of maize, four bags of sugar, four cartons of milk, four bags of charcoal, four gallons of oil, three boxes of keysoap and other assorted drinks.
He said the lack of recreational facilities at the leproserium was a disincentive to the socialisation of the inmates, hence the need to have some form of recreation to make them feel comfortable.
Mr Appiah said the “infrastructural development at the Leproserium is nothing to write home about”, and, therefore, called on the “Social Welfare Department and the Disability Council to assist in the development of better housing facilities for the inmates”.
He called for the prompt release of the subsidy to the inmates, saying that the GHC 0.60 per day should be increased to meet the current standard cost of living.
He entreated the authorities of the Leproserium to take proper documentation of the relations of inmates so as to ensure that they (relatives) were traced when they were needed.
The Prefect of the inmates, auntie Gladys Adobea, thanked Mr Appiah for his kind gesture.
THE Chief Executive Officer of Agya Appiah Alternative Herbal Medicine, Mr Agya Appiah, has called on the Ministry of Health to consider treating with leprosy in their homes so that they feel part of the society and not be ostracised.
That, he said, was to help address the problem of stigmatisation.
Mr Appiah said this when he presented items worth GHC 2000 and a cash of GHC 1000 to the Weija Leproserium in Accra.
The donation which was the third in three years was made up of four bags of rice, four bags of maize, four bags of sugar, four cartons of milk, four bags of charcoal, four gallons of oil, three boxes of keysoap and other assorted drinks.
He said the lack of recreational facilities at the leproserium was a disincentive to the socialisation of the inmates, hence the need to have some form of recreation to make them feel comfortable.
Mr Appiah said the “infrastructural development at the Leproserium is nothing to write home about”, and, therefore, called on the “Social Welfare Department and the Disability Council to assist in the development of better housing facilities for the inmates”.
He called for the prompt release of the subsidy to the inmates, saying that the GHC 0.60 per day should be increased to meet the current standard cost of living.
He entreated the authorities of the Leproserium to take proper documentation of the relations of inmates so as to ensure that they (relatives) were traced when they were needed.
The Prefect of the inmates, auntie Gladys Adobea, thanked Mr Appiah for his kind gesture.
Korle Bu to have stroke, cancer clinics
20-01-10
THE Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is to establish special clinics for the efficient treatment and management of stroke and cancer cases.
In addition, the hospital is also to set up a lifestyle clinic, as well as special clinics, to handle specific diseases that afflict men and women.
The Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Professor Nii Otu Nartey, who made this known at its annual performance review in Accra yesterday, said the specialised clinics formed part of new projects to be undertaken to serve clients better under the hospital’s new five-year development plan.
He said the government had provided for the replacement of the 13 lifts in the hospital at the cost of $1.5 million.
“Installation of the lifts will commence as soon as the procurement process is over,” he said, and indicated that “the hospital will embark on the construction of a new Child Health Emergency and a new Gynaecology Block”.
Prof Nartey said the management of the hospital was in the process of merging the Surgical and Medical Emergency Centre and the Accident and Emergency Centre into one sub-budget management centre to conform to current practices.
A team of emergency room physicians from the New York University, he said, was visiting the hospital to finalise the arrangement for the merger.
He said the Korle-Bu management, with the support of the government, was sourcing funding to develop an “ultra- modern emergency centre and a specialist care centre that will house Eye, Urology, Neurosurgery and other specialised disciplines”.
Prof Nartey said those centres would be equipped with modern facilities to turn the hospital into medical hub in the West African sub-region.
During the year under review, he said, the hospital completed the medical blocks, second floor labour wards, new consulting rooms for the Child Health Department, renovation of the Physiotherapy building and the expansion of the satellite pharmacy buildings.
Ongoing projects which would be completed within the next month, he said, included consulting rooms and offices on the ground floor of the Surgical Block and the Reproductive Health Centre.
“This meeting between management and the heads of departments and units enables the hospital to review the previous year’s activities in order to improve on our core business — healthcare delivery to our patients. The performance review gives the various departments/units the opportunity to evaluate their achievements, strengths and weaknesses and improve on their performance in the New Year,” he said.
Prof Nartey said a new board which was inaugurated in June 2009 had requested for a new strategic plan to replace that of 2005-2009.
THE Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is to establish special clinics for the efficient treatment and management of stroke and cancer cases.
In addition, the hospital is also to set up a lifestyle clinic, as well as special clinics, to handle specific diseases that afflict men and women.
The Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Professor Nii Otu Nartey, who made this known at its annual performance review in Accra yesterday, said the specialised clinics formed part of new projects to be undertaken to serve clients better under the hospital’s new five-year development plan.
He said the government had provided for the replacement of the 13 lifts in the hospital at the cost of $1.5 million.
“Installation of the lifts will commence as soon as the procurement process is over,” he said, and indicated that “the hospital will embark on the construction of a new Child Health Emergency and a new Gynaecology Block”.
Prof Nartey said the management of the hospital was in the process of merging the Surgical and Medical Emergency Centre and the Accident and Emergency Centre into one sub-budget management centre to conform to current practices.
A team of emergency room physicians from the New York University, he said, was visiting the hospital to finalise the arrangement for the merger.
He said the Korle-Bu management, with the support of the government, was sourcing funding to develop an “ultra- modern emergency centre and a specialist care centre that will house Eye, Urology, Neurosurgery and other specialised disciplines”.
Prof Nartey said those centres would be equipped with modern facilities to turn the hospital into medical hub in the West African sub-region.
During the year under review, he said, the hospital completed the medical blocks, second floor labour wards, new consulting rooms for the Child Health Department, renovation of the Physiotherapy building and the expansion of the satellite pharmacy buildings.
Ongoing projects which would be completed within the next month, he said, included consulting rooms and offices on the ground floor of the Surgical Block and the Reproductive Health Centre.
“This meeting between management and the heads of departments and units enables the hospital to review the previous year’s activities in order to improve on our core business — healthcare delivery to our patients. The performance review gives the various departments/units the opportunity to evaluate their achievements, strengths and weaknesses and improve on their performance in the New Year,” he said.
Prof Nartey said a new board which was inaugurated in June 2009 had requested for a new strategic plan to replace that of 2005-2009.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Constitution review exercise very necessary — Adei
Political Page
16-01-10
THE immediate past Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof Stephen Adei, has described the proposed constitutional review as highly necessary in view of some shortcomings in the 1992 Constitution.
He said the framework (Constitution) of the nation, which was the reference point of the country’s laws, had to be put in the right shape to meet current challenges.
“Reviewing the Constitution is not rewriting the whole Constitution. It is only identifying some areas that need to be changed,” he said in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday.
Prof Adei said although it was not good to be changing the Constitution every now and then, there was the need “to calibrate it in areas that had shortfalls to make it more efficient”.
He said, for instance, that elections should not be held every four years and that there should be a one presidential term of seven years to provide an uninterrupted period for a President to prosecute his agenda.
“I believe that things like the appointment of Council of State members where so much proportion is given to the President alone is wrong,” he said, noting that there was the need to improve the current system.
Prof. Adei suggested an independent Council of State into which members would be elected, while there would be representatives from bodies like the Ghana Bar Association, the Ghana Academic of Arts and Sciences, among others, to advise the President.
He said probably the Council of State should have little teeth like the House of Lords in Britain.
He disagreed with Prof. Kofi Kumado that the $3 million to be used for the exercise be used on rural development.
Prof Kumado had said in the face of the massive problems and deprivations the majority of Ghanaians suffered on a daily basis, the money to be spent would constitute a gross misuse of public funds on an exercise “which can only be self-indulgence by the literate”.
In a letter to the Editor of the Daily Graphic in reaction to the government’s intention to carry out a review of the 1992 Constitution, Professor Kumado questioned the basis for a referendum just about a year before parliamentary and presidential elections.
“What sort of prioritisation is this?” he questioned.
16-01-10
THE immediate past Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof Stephen Adei, has described the proposed constitutional review as highly necessary in view of some shortcomings in the 1992 Constitution.
He said the framework (Constitution) of the nation, which was the reference point of the country’s laws, had to be put in the right shape to meet current challenges.
“Reviewing the Constitution is not rewriting the whole Constitution. It is only identifying some areas that need to be changed,” he said in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday.
Prof Adei said although it was not good to be changing the Constitution every now and then, there was the need “to calibrate it in areas that had shortfalls to make it more efficient”.
He said, for instance, that elections should not be held every four years and that there should be a one presidential term of seven years to provide an uninterrupted period for a President to prosecute his agenda.
“I believe that things like the appointment of Council of State members where so much proportion is given to the President alone is wrong,” he said, noting that there was the need to improve the current system.
Prof. Adei suggested an independent Council of State into which members would be elected, while there would be representatives from bodies like the Ghana Bar Association, the Ghana Academic of Arts and Sciences, among others, to advise the President.
He said probably the Council of State should have little teeth like the House of Lords in Britain.
He disagreed with Prof. Kofi Kumado that the $3 million to be used for the exercise be used on rural development.
Prof Kumado had said in the face of the massive problems and deprivations the majority of Ghanaians suffered on a daily basis, the money to be spent would constitute a gross misuse of public funds on an exercise “which can only be self-indulgence by the literate”.
In a letter to the Editor of the Daily Graphic in reaction to the government’s intention to carry out a review of the 1992 Constitution, Professor Kumado questioned the basis for a referendum just about a year before parliamentary and presidential elections.
“What sort of prioritisation is this?” he questioned.
Expand distribution of free school uniforms
Page 17
18-01-10
BENEFICIARIES of the government’s free school uniforms in the Awutu Senya District of the Central Region have called for increase in distribution to cover their fellow mates who continue to wear tattered uniforms to schools.
They said while they were happy to have received the uniforms since it had also come as a big relief to their parents and guardians, their friends who did not benefit from the programme look sad and this was affecting them.
The students however lauded the government for the initiative but expressed the hope that all their brothers and sisters and friends will get the uniforms so that they do not feel left out.
The pupils made the call in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic during a visit to selected schools in the Awutu Senya District at the weekend to find out the impact of the free school uniforms on them.
Fifty pupils, made up of 25 boys and 25 girls from six schools who were selected at random, benefitted from the free school uniforms programme in the district.
They submitted that but for the free uniforms, they would have gone to school in torn uniforms, and that the free uniforms had helped to lift a burden off their parents and guardians head who were struggling to make ends meet.
They said wearing a good school uniform was key to enhancing their stay and studies in school.
The First Lady, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills, on December 30, 2009, launched the government’s policy to distribute 1.6 million free uniforms to pupils in 77 deprived districts of the country.
The programme ‘Free School Uniforms for Needy Children’ in basic schools in Ghana commenced at Kwao Larbi in the Awutu Senya District where six schools benefited from it. The schools are: the Kwao Larbi Anglican Primary School, Ahentia D/A Primary School, the Chochoe Primary School, Bontrase D/A Primary School, Akrampah Primary and the Abefor Primary School.
At the Ahentia Primary school, some of the pupils -Juliana Kwei, Emmanuel Arhin, Sophia Sakyi and Theresa Arhinful, who did not benefit from the initiative, stressed on the need for the government to make the programme cover primary schools in the selected areas.
They said the situation where a random selection of 50 pupils, comprising 25 girls and 25 boys was made should be scrapped and expanded to cover all primary pupils in the schools selected for the programme.
Psychologically, they said, wearing a torn uniform had a negative effects on them as some of them were teased or laughed at, thereby making those of them in the torn uniforms become truant.
Those who benefited from the programme at the Kwao Larbi said although the free uniforms were good, the palm branches shed under which the school was held did not provide the right atmosphere for teaching and learning.
They said the school did not have furniture, and, therefore they had to carry their own chairs and stools to sit on in order to learn.
“I am happy for the new uniform but look at our school?,” Rebecca Asare, a pupil asked, saying that work on their new school block and the provision of furniture should be expedited.
They, together with the headteacher, Mr Isaac Acheampong, called on the government to expedite action on the construction of their new school block which was still at the foundation stage.
Mr Acheampong said the current state of the school made it difficult for effective teaching and learning, adding that when it was raining or the sun was too hot they had to stop classes since the palm branches which served as roof did not provide proper cover from the sun rays or the rains.
Mr Acheampong and Mr Peter Ntim, Assistant headteacher of the Ahentia Primary School, as well as pupils underscored the need for the School Feeding Programme to be extended to their schools.
They said some of the pupils, went to school without food as their parents or guardians did not have enough to provide for them.
Mr Ntim, for his part said, apart from parents and guardians being poor peasant farmers, others were single mothers and fathers, and that the criteria for selection of beneficiaries was based on those.
He said pupils came from nearby communities such as Kemor, Loye, Busumabena, Oshimpo and Small London, among other places and they needed to be encouraged to attract more of their colleagues who spent time on the farm.
A Class Three teacher at the Chochoe Primary School, said some of the uniforms for the girls, especially the jumpers were too short, compelling the pupils having such uniforms to convert them to skirts.
She said some of the beneficiaries had given the uniforms they were given to either their younger and elder siblings because their uniforms were either too large or small, and called for the proper sizes of uniforms to be distributed.
Meanwhile, the beneficiaries of the free uniforms have pledged to be regular in school since the free uniform was a morale booster.
Alex Tetteh, one of such pupils who walked three kilometres to school everyday, said although he was regular in school, he would try to be punctual every school day.
The government has committed GH¢21 million into providing free school uniforms for basic schoolchildren, with the first consignment of 1.6 million uniforms for children in 77 deprived districts.
About 300 schoolchildren from the six basic schools in the Awutu Senya district benefited from the programme. The distribution of the uniforms is in fulfilment of the government’s campaign promise to provide free school uniforms for pupils in deprived communities.
18-01-10
BENEFICIARIES of the government’s free school uniforms in the Awutu Senya District of the Central Region have called for increase in distribution to cover their fellow mates who continue to wear tattered uniforms to schools.
They said while they were happy to have received the uniforms since it had also come as a big relief to their parents and guardians, their friends who did not benefit from the programme look sad and this was affecting them.
The students however lauded the government for the initiative but expressed the hope that all their brothers and sisters and friends will get the uniforms so that they do not feel left out.
The pupils made the call in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic during a visit to selected schools in the Awutu Senya District at the weekend to find out the impact of the free school uniforms on them.
Fifty pupils, made up of 25 boys and 25 girls from six schools who were selected at random, benefitted from the free school uniforms programme in the district.
They submitted that but for the free uniforms, they would have gone to school in torn uniforms, and that the free uniforms had helped to lift a burden off their parents and guardians head who were struggling to make ends meet.
They said wearing a good school uniform was key to enhancing their stay and studies in school.
The First Lady, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills, on December 30, 2009, launched the government’s policy to distribute 1.6 million free uniforms to pupils in 77 deprived districts of the country.
The programme ‘Free School Uniforms for Needy Children’ in basic schools in Ghana commenced at Kwao Larbi in the Awutu Senya District where six schools benefited from it. The schools are: the Kwao Larbi Anglican Primary School, Ahentia D/A Primary School, the Chochoe Primary School, Bontrase D/A Primary School, Akrampah Primary and the Abefor Primary School.
At the Ahentia Primary school, some of the pupils -Juliana Kwei, Emmanuel Arhin, Sophia Sakyi and Theresa Arhinful, who did not benefit from the initiative, stressed on the need for the government to make the programme cover primary schools in the selected areas.
They said the situation where a random selection of 50 pupils, comprising 25 girls and 25 boys was made should be scrapped and expanded to cover all primary pupils in the schools selected for the programme.
Psychologically, they said, wearing a torn uniform had a negative effects on them as some of them were teased or laughed at, thereby making those of them in the torn uniforms become truant.
Those who benefited from the programme at the Kwao Larbi said although the free uniforms were good, the palm branches shed under which the school was held did not provide the right atmosphere for teaching and learning.
They said the school did not have furniture, and, therefore they had to carry their own chairs and stools to sit on in order to learn.
“I am happy for the new uniform but look at our school?,” Rebecca Asare, a pupil asked, saying that work on their new school block and the provision of furniture should be expedited.
They, together with the headteacher, Mr Isaac Acheampong, called on the government to expedite action on the construction of their new school block which was still at the foundation stage.
Mr Acheampong said the current state of the school made it difficult for effective teaching and learning, adding that when it was raining or the sun was too hot they had to stop classes since the palm branches which served as roof did not provide proper cover from the sun rays or the rains.
Mr Acheampong and Mr Peter Ntim, Assistant headteacher of the Ahentia Primary School, as well as pupils underscored the need for the School Feeding Programme to be extended to their schools.
They said some of the pupils, went to school without food as their parents or guardians did not have enough to provide for them.
Mr Ntim, for his part said, apart from parents and guardians being poor peasant farmers, others were single mothers and fathers, and that the criteria for selection of beneficiaries was based on those.
He said pupils came from nearby communities such as Kemor, Loye, Busumabena, Oshimpo and Small London, among other places and they needed to be encouraged to attract more of their colleagues who spent time on the farm.
A Class Three teacher at the Chochoe Primary School, said some of the uniforms for the girls, especially the jumpers were too short, compelling the pupils having such uniforms to convert them to skirts.
She said some of the beneficiaries had given the uniforms they were given to either their younger and elder siblings because their uniforms were either too large or small, and called for the proper sizes of uniforms to be distributed.
Meanwhile, the beneficiaries of the free uniforms have pledged to be regular in school since the free uniform was a morale booster.
Alex Tetteh, one of such pupils who walked three kilometres to school everyday, said although he was regular in school, he would try to be punctual every school day.
The government has committed GH¢21 million into providing free school uniforms for basic schoolchildren, with the first consignment of 1.6 million uniforms for children in 77 deprived districts.
About 300 schoolchildren from the six basic schools in the Awutu Senya district benefited from the programme. The distribution of the uniforms is in fulfilment of the government’s campaign promise to provide free school uniforms for pupils in deprived communities.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Only All Nations University accredited to offer oil, gas programme
Spead Lead
12-01-10
THE National Accreditation Board (NAB) says only the All Nations University in Koforidua has been accredited to offer a programme in oil and gas in the country.
It has, therefore, cautioned members of the public wanting to pursue such a programme in any institution to cross-check with the board before applying.
The Executive Secretary of the NAB, Mr Kwame Dattey, who said this in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said not even a single public university had been accredited to offer such a programme.
He said two public universities, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Science and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, had applied to run programmes in petro-chemicals.
He said the NAB was ready to grant accreditation to institutions that intended to run the course, provided they met the requisite requirements needed for such programmes.
Mr Dattey said the NAB had set up a quality assurance committee that sent out academic auditors to conduct random checks on the qualification of students and lecturers in various tertiary institutions.
The move, he said, was to prevent the institutions from admitting and using unqualified students and lecturers, saying that the quality assurance committee was set up to know whether or not institutions were still conforming to the rules and regulations under which they were supposed to operate.
He noted that the board had identified about five private tertiary institutions that were engaged in such a practice.
Mr Dattey did not mention the names of the institutions and said the board had asked them (institutions) to withdraw the unqualified persons, failure of which the names of those institutions would be published, after which their accreditation would be withdrawn.
He said the checks were ongoing and that all the 57 accredited private institutions would be covered under the checks, adding that there were rules and regulations guiding the operations of educational institutions in the country.
On the qualification of students to enter tertiary institution, he said the minimum was aggregate 24 in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) or its equivalents.
Mr Dattey said a lecturer in a tertiary institution must have a research degree, since teaching did not only involve imparting of knowledge but also research.
12-01-10
THE National Accreditation Board (NAB) says only the All Nations University in Koforidua has been accredited to offer a programme in oil and gas in the country.
It has, therefore, cautioned members of the public wanting to pursue such a programme in any institution to cross-check with the board before applying.
The Executive Secretary of the NAB, Mr Kwame Dattey, who said this in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said not even a single public university had been accredited to offer such a programme.
He said two public universities, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Science and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, had applied to run programmes in petro-chemicals.
He said the NAB was ready to grant accreditation to institutions that intended to run the course, provided they met the requisite requirements needed for such programmes.
Mr Dattey said the NAB had set up a quality assurance committee that sent out academic auditors to conduct random checks on the qualification of students and lecturers in various tertiary institutions.
The move, he said, was to prevent the institutions from admitting and using unqualified students and lecturers, saying that the quality assurance committee was set up to know whether or not institutions were still conforming to the rules and regulations under which they were supposed to operate.
He noted that the board had identified about five private tertiary institutions that were engaged in such a practice.
Mr Dattey did not mention the names of the institutions and said the board had asked them (institutions) to withdraw the unqualified persons, failure of which the names of those institutions would be published, after which their accreditation would be withdrawn.
He said the checks were ongoing and that all the 57 accredited private institutions would be covered under the checks, adding that there were rules and regulations guiding the operations of educational institutions in the country.
On the qualification of students to enter tertiary institution, he said the minimum was aggregate 24 in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) or its equivalents.
Mr Dattey said a lecturer in a tertiary institution must have a research degree, since teaching did not only involve imparting of knowledge but also research.
Ghana is a beacon of democracy-Maduekwe
Page 17
13-01-10
THE Nigerian Foreign Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, has described Ghana as the beacon of peaceful democratic transitions in Africa.
Addressing a public lecture on the topic: Ghana-Nigeria Relations, Chief Maduekwe said the smooth transitions from one government to another were clear manifestations of Ghana’s growth in democracy.
According to him, Ghana-Nigeria relations dated way back when personalities such as Nnamdi Azikiwe caught the spirit of political struggle in Ghana.
“He made Ghana is home,” he said, after which he joined the Pan-African struggle.
The Ghanaian Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, said Ghana-Nigeria connection dated back not only through bilateral relations, but multilateral relations as well.
He said the two countries considered themselves sister states, while their citizens saw themselves as brothers and sisters.
He said for the two countries to have vibrant economies, there was a need for integration, which the two Presidents, Prof. J.E.A. Mills and Musa Yar’Adua were passionate about.
Alhaji Mumini said the only way to build a strong, resilient economy was through integration, and indicated that Prof. Mills had made integration the flagship of his foreign policy.
The prosecution of foreign relations, he said, had assumed new dimensions of economic diplomacy. He said the current government was looking to expanding the frontiers of trade with other countries, find new markets, popularise made-in-Ghana goods, build a robust economy and showcase the country’s tourism potentials.
13-01-10
THE Nigerian Foreign Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, has described Ghana as the beacon of peaceful democratic transitions in Africa.
Addressing a public lecture on the topic: Ghana-Nigeria Relations, Chief Maduekwe said the smooth transitions from one government to another were clear manifestations of Ghana’s growth in democracy.
According to him, Ghana-Nigeria relations dated way back when personalities such as Nnamdi Azikiwe caught the spirit of political struggle in Ghana.
“He made Ghana is home,” he said, after which he joined the Pan-African struggle.
The Ghanaian Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, said Ghana-Nigeria connection dated back not only through bilateral relations, but multilateral relations as well.
He said the two countries considered themselves sister states, while their citizens saw themselves as brothers and sisters.
He said for the two countries to have vibrant economies, there was a need for integration, which the two Presidents, Prof. J.E.A. Mills and Musa Yar’Adua were passionate about.
Alhaji Mumini said the only way to build a strong, resilient economy was through integration, and indicated that Prof. Mills had made integration the flagship of his foreign policy.
The prosecution of foreign relations, he said, had assumed new dimensions of economic diplomacy. He said the current government was looking to expanding the frontiers of trade with other countries, find new markets, popularise made-in-Ghana goods, build a robust economy and showcase the country’s tourism potentials.
Addae-Poku heads NAGRAT
Page 17
11-01-10
MR Christian Addae-Poku has assumed the leadership of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) with a pledge that the association will use dialogue to get what is due its members.
“We will improve our relationship with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and work hard to use dialogue to resolve issues as has always been the case. This is not to say that other issues may not be on the table when the situation demands. We in turn expect commitment and fair play from management and other players in the labour industry to ensure harmonious work environment,” he said.
Mr Addae-Poku was speaking at a ceremony in which he took over the mantle of leadership of NAGRAT from Mr Kwame Alorvi, who has been President of the association since September 2003.
He said the association would pursue administrative reforms that would enable the union to meet the needs of its members, adding that the association needed reforms in its structures.
He said facilities such as the office accommodation for national and regional secretariats would have to be provided at strategic places to provide relevant service to members.
Mr Addae-Poku indicated that NAGRAT would take up responsibilities such as organising in-service training and refresher courses for teachers to improve their quality.
“What we need now is a new era of responsibility in which every teacher will have a duty to himself, his profession and society and this my colleagues and I do hereby pledge our undivided commitment,” he said.
He said poor remuneration, inadequate training and retraining, low morale in the service, high retention rate and the lack of collegial relationship in the service had denied the job its professionalism, saying that “it behoves of us all now to create the enabling environment for the profession to claim its rightful position in society if we are to achieve education for all by the year 2015”.
Mr Addae-Poku said for a decade and a half years graduate teachers had fought hard to establish the association and given it the might to amplify the voices of voiceless teachers within the GES.
Torrid and frustrating the journey had been, he said, “we have never wavered in our struggle for quality teaching and learning, better learning environment, better conditions of service for teachers as well as fulfilling our constitutional right to form or join a trade union of our choice”.
Mr Alorvi, for his part, expressed his gratitude to officers and regional executives for their support throughout his tenure of office.
“I will also like to thank the office staff both national and regional for their dedication to duty and encouragement,” he emphasised.
He said when his team of executives took over the leadership of NAGRAT on September 12, 2003, the challenges were daunting in spite of the tremendous effort put in by its pioneer officers to change things for the better.
Mr Alorvi said the challenges included a low membership drive due to the uncertainty of the association and the problem of the automatic deduction of dues from the salaries of graduate teachers by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department for an association they had not opted to join.
“In summary there was general despondency among the graduate fraternity. These problems had to be confronted headlong by leadership bringing us into a collision course with those who did not want to see reason. We confronted the GES and its council, the Ministry of Education, Controller and Accountant General’s Department, heads of schools Ministers of State, National Security apparatus, the National Labour Commission and even the seat of Government, the Castle,” he stated.
11-01-10
MR Christian Addae-Poku has assumed the leadership of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) with a pledge that the association will use dialogue to get what is due its members.
“We will improve our relationship with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and work hard to use dialogue to resolve issues as has always been the case. This is not to say that other issues may not be on the table when the situation demands. We in turn expect commitment and fair play from management and other players in the labour industry to ensure harmonious work environment,” he said.
Mr Addae-Poku was speaking at a ceremony in which he took over the mantle of leadership of NAGRAT from Mr Kwame Alorvi, who has been President of the association since September 2003.
He said the association would pursue administrative reforms that would enable the union to meet the needs of its members, adding that the association needed reforms in its structures.
He said facilities such as the office accommodation for national and regional secretariats would have to be provided at strategic places to provide relevant service to members.
Mr Addae-Poku indicated that NAGRAT would take up responsibilities such as organising in-service training and refresher courses for teachers to improve their quality.
“What we need now is a new era of responsibility in which every teacher will have a duty to himself, his profession and society and this my colleagues and I do hereby pledge our undivided commitment,” he said.
He said poor remuneration, inadequate training and retraining, low morale in the service, high retention rate and the lack of collegial relationship in the service had denied the job its professionalism, saying that “it behoves of us all now to create the enabling environment for the profession to claim its rightful position in society if we are to achieve education for all by the year 2015”.
Mr Addae-Poku said for a decade and a half years graduate teachers had fought hard to establish the association and given it the might to amplify the voices of voiceless teachers within the GES.
Torrid and frustrating the journey had been, he said, “we have never wavered in our struggle for quality teaching and learning, better learning environment, better conditions of service for teachers as well as fulfilling our constitutional right to form or join a trade union of our choice”.
Mr Alorvi, for his part, expressed his gratitude to officers and regional executives for their support throughout his tenure of office.
“I will also like to thank the office staff both national and regional for their dedication to duty and encouragement,” he emphasised.
He said when his team of executives took over the leadership of NAGRAT on September 12, 2003, the challenges were daunting in spite of the tremendous effort put in by its pioneer officers to change things for the better.
Mr Alorvi said the challenges included a low membership drive due to the uncertainty of the association and the problem of the automatic deduction of dues from the salaries of graduate teachers by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department for an association they had not opted to join.
“In summary there was general despondency among the graduate fraternity. These problems had to be confronted headlong by leadership bringing us into a collision course with those who did not want to see reason. We confronted the GES and its council, the Ministry of Education, Controller and Accountant General’s Department, heads of schools Ministers of State, National Security apparatus, the National Labour Commission and even the seat of Government, the Castle,” he stated.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Students Loan Extended To Non-SSNIT guarantors
Spead Lead
People who are not contributors to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), can now guarantee for students seeking loans from the Students’ Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) to pursue tertiary education in the country.
The move follows the introduction of a guarantor diversification initiative by the SLTF for the benefit of students.
Taking his turn at the Meet-the-Press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, said, “The facility will enable non-SSNIT contributors to act as guarantors for students’ loan applicants. Through this diversification, district assemblies, corporate bodies and individuals, as well as SSNIT contributors, will be able to provide guarantees for students.”
He said it was the intention of the government that every qualified student who needed financial support accessed funding, adding that the ministry would continue to support the Students Loan Scheme with resources and assistance.
On basic education, he said the country had moved close to meeting its targets on enrolment but noted that a lot needed to be done to achieve universal primary education.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said statistics on the various stages of the basic level of education indicated that at the pre-school level, the number of public schools increased from 11,140 in 2007/2008 academic year to 11,827 at the beginning of the 2008/2009 academic year.
According to him, the total number of children enrolled at the pre-school level increased from 1,258,483 in the 2007/2008 academic year to 1,338,454 in the 2008/2009 academic year, stating that there was also “a two per cent increase in the number of public schools during the period under review”.
The number of schools rose from 13,247 to 13,510 in the respective years. Public primary school saw enrolment rising from 2,990,773 in the previous academic year to the current 3,041,895. That had brought the current number of primary school pupils to 3,710,647, representing a 2.6 per cent increase over the previous enrolment number of 3,616,023.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said overall enrolment at the junior high school (JHS) increased by five per cent from 1,224,010 in 2007/2008 to 1,285,577, pointing out that there had been some improvement in the completion rate indicator at both the primary and JHS stages.
On senior high school (SHS) education, he said enrolment increased from the 437,771 in 2007/2008 to 490,334 in 2008/2009.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said although there was an increase in the number of public technical schools from 24 to 26, enrolment into such institutions dropped from 20,303 to 18,432.
With regard to the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), he said, “our observation is that the system still has challenges”, adding that the next stakeholders meeting to discuss the matter would be held this month.
“The ministry has taken note of the implications for enrolment into technical vocational institutions arising from the introduction of the CSSPS. This situation is being addressed by the revised CSSPS system,” he said.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said new modalities for teacher deployment were being developed, and that the new deployment procedures would promote equity in the allocation of teachers to reduce overlaps that had plagued the educational system.
He said Religious and Moral Education at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) would become an examinable subject from 2011.
People who are not contributors to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), can now guarantee for students seeking loans from the Students’ Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) to pursue tertiary education in the country.
The move follows the introduction of a guarantor diversification initiative by the SLTF for the benefit of students.
Taking his turn at the Meet-the-Press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, said, “The facility will enable non-SSNIT contributors to act as guarantors for students’ loan applicants. Through this diversification, district assemblies, corporate bodies and individuals, as well as SSNIT contributors, will be able to provide guarantees for students.”
He said it was the intention of the government that every qualified student who needed financial support accessed funding, adding that the ministry would continue to support the Students Loan Scheme with resources and assistance.
On basic education, he said the country had moved close to meeting its targets on enrolment but noted that a lot needed to be done to achieve universal primary education.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said statistics on the various stages of the basic level of education indicated that at the pre-school level, the number of public schools increased from 11,140 in 2007/2008 academic year to 11,827 at the beginning of the 2008/2009 academic year.
According to him, the total number of children enrolled at the pre-school level increased from 1,258,483 in the 2007/2008 academic year to 1,338,454 in the 2008/2009 academic year, stating that there was also “a two per cent increase in the number of public schools during the period under review”.
The number of schools rose from 13,247 to 13,510 in the respective years. Public primary school saw enrolment rising from 2,990,773 in the previous academic year to the current 3,041,895. That had brought the current number of primary school pupils to 3,710,647, representing a 2.6 per cent increase over the previous enrolment number of 3,616,023.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said overall enrolment at the junior high school (JHS) increased by five per cent from 1,224,010 in 2007/2008 to 1,285,577, pointing out that there had been some improvement in the completion rate indicator at both the primary and JHS stages.
On senior high school (SHS) education, he said enrolment increased from the 437,771 in 2007/2008 to 490,334 in 2008/2009.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said although there was an increase in the number of public technical schools from 24 to 26, enrolment into such institutions dropped from 20,303 to 18,432.
With regard to the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), he said, “our observation is that the system still has challenges”, adding that the next stakeholders meeting to discuss the matter would be held this month.
“The ministry has taken note of the implications for enrolment into technical vocational institutions arising from the introduction of the CSSPS. This situation is being addressed by the revised CSSPS system,” he said.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said new modalities for teacher deployment were being developed, and that the new deployment procedures would promote equity in the allocation of teachers to reduce overlaps that had plagued the educational system.
He said Religious and Moral Education at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) would become an examinable subject from 2011.
Make Teaching Attractive
01-08-10
Page 17
THE President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr Joseph Kwaku Adjei, has underscored the need for the country to make the teaching profession attractive at all levels of the educational system to make it appealing to brilliant students.
“Young people should no longer choose the teaching profession as the least favoured alternative because they fail to find employment in another sector. Being a teacher must be a choice borne out of a passionate desire, motivation and commitment,” he said.
Mr Adjei said this at the opening of the third quadrennial and 50th national delegates conference of the GNAT in Accra .
The conference which was attended by about 750 delegates is on the theme: “Investing in People to achieve Quality Education by 2015”.
He said teaching should be made sufficiently attractive to retain educators, adding that “it is sad to state that the teaching profession continues to be devalued over the years and successive governments continue to pay lip-service to improvements that are needed to bring it to a better pedestal”.
“Posterity will judge us if we should allow the education sector to be blighted in this way,” he emphasised.
According to him, the second Millennium Development Goal (MDG) set by the United Nations (UN) that all children should receive primary education by 2015 was simultaneously the world’s most important goal since education was critical to the survival of the next generation.
Mr Adjei said education was undoubtedly the driving force to the achievement of the rest of the MDGs.
“It is on record that today there are approximately 70 million children globally who were not in school. In Ghana, over 800,000 children are out of school; 70 per cent of these are rural dwellers,” he stated.
Mr Adjei cited reasons for the high number of out- of school children to include the neglect of rural basic education by successive governments, in comparison with urban basic education.
He described the incident as unfortunate since the bulk of the country’s foreign exchange was derived from gold, cocoa and non-traditional exports which were found and produced in the rural areas.
On the issue of better conditions of service for public sector workers, he said, the situation where the government responded to the plight of such workers only when they threatened industrial action should be a thing of the past since it did not augur well for good and healthy industrial relations.
Mr Adjei, therefore, urged employers to respond promptly to the “needs of employees to enhance industrial harmony at all times”.
He appealed to the President to make the Bawku conflict a top priority and inculcate into the traditional rulers and the citizenry, the spirit of dialogue to resolve conflicts since there could be no peace in the country with a section of the population under siege.
The President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, who opened the conference, gave the assurance that the government was this year feverishly working towards reversing the unfortunate trend of inadequate remuneration received by public sector workers, especially teachers.
“The near implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure is a clear manifestation that the government is committed to improving the lot of teachers here on earth,” he said.
Page 17
THE President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr Joseph Kwaku Adjei, has underscored the need for the country to make the teaching profession attractive at all levels of the educational system to make it appealing to brilliant students.
“Young people should no longer choose the teaching profession as the least favoured alternative because they fail to find employment in another sector. Being a teacher must be a choice borne out of a passionate desire, motivation and commitment,” he said.
Mr Adjei said this at the opening of the third quadrennial and 50th national delegates conference of the GNAT in Accra .
The conference which was attended by about 750 delegates is on the theme: “Investing in People to achieve Quality Education by 2015”.
He said teaching should be made sufficiently attractive to retain educators, adding that “it is sad to state that the teaching profession continues to be devalued over the years and successive governments continue to pay lip-service to improvements that are needed to bring it to a better pedestal”.
“Posterity will judge us if we should allow the education sector to be blighted in this way,” he emphasised.
According to him, the second Millennium Development Goal (MDG) set by the United Nations (UN) that all children should receive primary education by 2015 was simultaneously the world’s most important goal since education was critical to the survival of the next generation.
Mr Adjei said education was undoubtedly the driving force to the achievement of the rest of the MDGs.
“It is on record that today there are approximately 70 million children globally who were not in school. In Ghana, over 800,000 children are out of school; 70 per cent of these are rural dwellers,” he stated.
Mr Adjei cited reasons for the high number of out- of school children to include the neglect of rural basic education by successive governments, in comparison with urban basic education.
He described the incident as unfortunate since the bulk of the country’s foreign exchange was derived from gold, cocoa and non-traditional exports which were found and produced in the rural areas.
On the issue of better conditions of service for public sector workers, he said, the situation where the government responded to the plight of such workers only when they threatened industrial action should be a thing of the past since it did not augur well for good and healthy industrial relations.
Mr Adjei, therefore, urged employers to respond promptly to the “needs of employees to enhance industrial harmony at all times”.
He appealed to the President to make the Bawku conflict a top priority and inculcate into the traditional rulers and the citizenry, the spirit of dialogue to resolve conflicts since there could be no peace in the country with a section of the population under siege.
The President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, who opened the conference, gave the assurance that the government was this year feverishly working towards reversing the unfortunate trend of inadequate remuneration received by public sector workers, especially teachers.
“The near implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure is a clear manifestation that the government is committed to improving the lot of teachers here on earth,” he said.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
GNAT to hold third Quadrennial Conference
01-01-10
THE Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) will hold its third Quadrennial and 50th National Delegates Conference from Sunday, January 3, to Friday, January 8, 2010.
The conference, which will be held on theme, “ Investing in People to Achieve Quality Education By 2015”, is expected to be officially opened by President John Evans Atta Mills.
The conference, to be held at the Auditorium of the University of Ghana Business School, will be attended by about 750 delegates and observers.
Representatives of some sister teacher organisations, including the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF), the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), would attend the conference, the General Secretary of GNAT, Mrs Irene Duncan Adanusah, said at a press conference in Accra.
“The National Delegates Conference is the highest decision-making body of the GNAT and it is the organ that formulates policies for the governance of the association. It is held every four years and it is at this forum that major policy decisions affecting education, the teaching profession and other socio-economic issues are discussed and the necessary decisions taken,” she said.
She said the current conference would take up issues on the review of the association’s development plan and action plans for the next five years, the implementation of the National Pensions Act, the New Education Act (Act 778) and the Single Spine Salary Structure.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah said the keynote address would be based on the chosen theme and it would be delivered by Mr Fred van Leewuen, the General Secretary of Education International.
She said there would be roundtable discussions which would be held in three stages, noting that the topics on the ‘National Pensions Act: Implementation Challenges for Employee Organisations’, would be led by Mr Daniel Aidoo Mensah of the Pension Commission and chaired by Dr T.A. Bediako, also of the Pension Commission.
She said one major item on the programme of the conference would be the election of national officers of the association, saying that those were President, Vice-President, Treasurer and the First and Second Trustees.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah said the officers to be elected would undergo investiture at the closing ceremony.
“During this ceremony, selected GNAT activists (numbering 40) and some devoted supporting staff would be rewarded. The ceremony will be performed by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo,” she said.
Meanwhile, Bay Port Financial Services has donated items worth GH¢24,000 to GNAT in support of the conference.
They are 1,500 Polo shirts, 500 T-shirts and 2,000 caps.
THE Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) will hold its third Quadrennial and 50th National Delegates Conference from Sunday, January 3, to Friday, January 8, 2010.
The conference, which will be held on theme, “ Investing in People to Achieve Quality Education By 2015”, is expected to be officially opened by President John Evans Atta Mills.
The conference, to be held at the Auditorium of the University of Ghana Business School, will be attended by about 750 delegates and observers.
Representatives of some sister teacher organisations, including the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF), the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), would attend the conference, the General Secretary of GNAT, Mrs Irene Duncan Adanusah, said at a press conference in Accra.
“The National Delegates Conference is the highest decision-making body of the GNAT and it is the organ that formulates policies for the governance of the association. It is held every four years and it is at this forum that major policy decisions affecting education, the teaching profession and other socio-economic issues are discussed and the necessary decisions taken,” she said.
She said the current conference would take up issues on the review of the association’s development plan and action plans for the next five years, the implementation of the National Pensions Act, the New Education Act (Act 778) and the Single Spine Salary Structure.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah said the keynote address would be based on the chosen theme and it would be delivered by Mr Fred van Leewuen, the General Secretary of Education International.
She said there would be roundtable discussions which would be held in three stages, noting that the topics on the ‘National Pensions Act: Implementation Challenges for Employee Organisations’, would be led by Mr Daniel Aidoo Mensah of the Pension Commission and chaired by Dr T.A. Bediako, also of the Pension Commission.
She said one major item on the programme of the conference would be the election of national officers of the association, saying that those were President, Vice-President, Treasurer and the First and Second Trustees.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah said the officers to be elected would undergo investiture at the closing ceremony.
“During this ceremony, selected GNAT activists (numbering 40) and some devoted supporting staff would be rewarded. The ceremony will be performed by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo,” she said.
Meanwhile, Bay Port Financial Services has donated items worth GH¢24,000 to GNAT in support of the conference.
They are 1,500 Polo shirts, 500 T-shirts and 2,000 caps.
Teachers' Lot Will Improve -President assures
01-06-09
Page 1 Lead
THE President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, has given the assurance that the government is this year feverishly working towards reversing the unfortunate trend of inadequate remuneration received by public sector workers, especially teachers.
“The near implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure is a clear manifestation that the government is committed to improving the lot of teachers here on earth,” he said.
President Mills gave the assurance when he opened the third Quadrennial and 50th National Delegates Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in Accra yesterday.
The conference, which is being attended by about 750 delegates, is on the theme: “Investing in People to achieve Quality Education by 2015”.
Already, Prof. Mills said, there had been evidence of the government’s determination to ensure that education was given its rightful place in the development of the country and mentioned the increase in the Capitation Grant and the provisions of free exercise books and free uniforms as some of the concrete measures the government had taken to improve the delivery of quality education in the country.
He identified the remuneration of teachers as one of the areas that the government would strive to improve upon so that they (teachers) would renew their commitment towards ensuring quality education in the country.
Prof. Mills said the government would do everything possible to improve education through the provision of the necessary facilities and infrastructure across the country, especially in the rural areas.
He identified four areas — the right environment, availability of teaching materials, training of teachers and co-operation between the school and the community — as vital to the delivery of quality education.
He commended GNAT for its decision of not going on strike when it announced it was going to do so, adding that the government would reciprocate the good gesture.
Prof. Mills called on the private sector to be actively involved in the provision of education so as to ensure access.
The President of GNAT, Mr Joseph Kwaku Adjei, called on the government to step up actions to improve teachers’ initial and continuing professional development, and reminded the government “about the support promised to teachers patronising distance education programmes in the University of Cape Coast and the University of Education, Winneba“.
“As a professional group, one particular area of concern to GNAT is the recruitment of non-professional teachers which is encouraged by the World Bank; this phenomenon should be vehemently opposed by all well-meaning Ghanaians because it is a means of watering down standards in our educational attainments,” he said.
GNAT, he stated, had remained a major stakeholder in the education industry of the country as it had been part of the struggle to put the country on an even keel.
“In addition, GNAT has remained neutral in the political organisation of the country and has sought to work with every government to achieve the educational goals set by successive governments. GNAT, therefore, wants to assure government of its continued commitment to and co-operation for the promotion and execution of sound policies which are in the best interest of people of this country,” he said.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, assured teachers of the implementation of the 20 per cent allowance for rural teachers, as well as the provision of other welfare packages.
The Minister of Manpower and Employment, Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao, said teachers deserved special commendation in society.
There were solidarity messages from the National Association of Graduate Teachers, Education International, Fair Wages Commission, organised labour and the National Labour Commission.
Page 1 Lead
THE President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, has given the assurance that the government is this year feverishly working towards reversing the unfortunate trend of inadequate remuneration received by public sector workers, especially teachers.
“The near implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure is a clear manifestation that the government is committed to improving the lot of teachers here on earth,” he said.
President Mills gave the assurance when he opened the third Quadrennial and 50th National Delegates Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in Accra yesterday.
The conference, which is being attended by about 750 delegates, is on the theme: “Investing in People to achieve Quality Education by 2015”.
Already, Prof. Mills said, there had been evidence of the government’s determination to ensure that education was given its rightful place in the development of the country and mentioned the increase in the Capitation Grant and the provisions of free exercise books and free uniforms as some of the concrete measures the government had taken to improve the delivery of quality education in the country.
He identified the remuneration of teachers as one of the areas that the government would strive to improve upon so that they (teachers) would renew their commitment towards ensuring quality education in the country.
Prof. Mills said the government would do everything possible to improve education through the provision of the necessary facilities and infrastructure across the country, especially in the rural areas.
He identified four areas — the right environment, availability of teaching materials, training of teachers and co-operation between the school and the community — as vital to the delivery of quality education.
He commended GNAT for its decision of not going on strike when it announced it was going to do so, adding that the government would reciprocate the good gesture.
Prof. Mills called on the private sector to be actively involved in the provision of education so as to ensure access.
The President of GNAT, Mr Joseph Kwaku Adjei, called on the government to step up actions to improve teachers’ initial and continuing professional development, and reminded the government “about the support promised to teachers patronising distance education programmes in the University of Cape Coast and the University of Education, Winneba“.
“As a professional group, one particular area of concern to GNAT is the recruitment of non-professional teachers which is encouraged by the World Bank; this phenomenon should be vehemently opposed by all well-meaning Ghanaians because it is a means of watering down standards in our educational attainments,” he said.
GNAT, he stated, had remained a major stakeholder in the education industry of the country as it had been part of the struggle to put the country on an even keel.
“In addition, GNAT has remained neutral in the political organisation of the country and has sought to work with every government to achieve the educational goals set by successive governments. GNAT, therefore, wants to assure government of its continued commitment to and co-operation for the promotion and execution of sound policies which are in the best interest of people of this country,” he said.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, assured teachers of the implementation of the 20 per cent allowance for rural teachers, as well as the provision of other welfare packages.
The Minister of Manpower and Employment, Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao, said teachers deserved special commendation in society.
There were solidarity messages from the National Association of Graduate Teachers, Education International, Fair Wages Commission, organised labour and the National Labour Commission.
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