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.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
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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