30-04-09
THE Ghana Health Service (GHS) is dispatching health personnel to the New Bortiano (Mile 11) area where dead bodies and body parts have been exposed in mass graves to ensure that people in the area are protected from a possible epidemic.
The Director-General of the GHS, Dr Elias Sory, who made this known to the Daily Graphic yesterday, warned that an epidemic was possible.
He expressed worry over the situation and said environmental health officers, officers from the regional and district health directorates, as well as other relevant institutions, were being prompted to go the area to save the situation.
“We have to be proactive to ensure that the people are safe. In the end, the buck stops with us because when they fall ill they will have to go the hospital,” he said.
Dr Sory said the concerns being expressed by the people in the area were genuine, since there was a high possibility of contamination of water and other food items in the area.
He said as part of the visit to the area, the environmental health officers should be able to determine whether it was suitable to dump unclaimed bodies in the area.
Residents of the Mile 11 area woke up on Monday to a horrific scene and overpowering stench of rotten human parts at the cemetery in the area.
That followed a heavy downpour that exposed the parts of human bodies buried in shallow mass graves at the cemetery.
At the scene, human skulls, teeth and other parts were scattered around, while legs protruded from the graves. Residents feared that the rotten bodies could easily have adverse effects on their lives.
According to them, the mass burial of dead bodies which apparently had not been claimed by the relatives of the deceased was a daily occurrence at the cemetery.
They indicated that it was a common spectacle to see trucks from morgues discharging dead bodies into mass graves at the cemetery.
One resident, Mr Benjamin Asiedu, said the overpowering stench which emanated from the dead bodies often rendered residents uncomfortable and incapable of sleeping well.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
41 Per cent of primary school teachers untrained
29-04-09
Page 11
THE Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is worried that about 41 per cent of primary school teachers of the Ghana Education Service (GES) are untrained.
According to GNAT, the level of training and expertise of educators have serious effects on the quality of education that is given to the youth and adults, and stressed the need for the government to invest in the teachers, since they drive the wheels of education.
The General Secretary of GNAT, Mrs Irene Duncan-Adanusah, expressed the worry at a one-day reading clinic organised by the association for 24 pupils from eight basic schools at Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) and sponsored by EPP Books Limited as part of the Global Action Week celebration.
She said it was through qualified and well-motivated teachers that Ghanaian children could gain quality public education.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah noted that the most effective way through which the youth and adults could gain the knowledge they were searching for, was through correct reading habits.
She observed that while there were millions of people across the world who could not read, there were 75 million children across the world out of school and 776 million adults illiterates, with two thirds being women.
Literacy, she said, was a human right, a tool for personal development, adding that “providing adults with access to literacy programmes and children with access to school are both fundamental steps in tackling poverty”.
She said the 2007 Chief Examiner’s Report of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) indicated that the average Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) pass rate of only 60 per cent achieved nationally over the past five years, was partly due to the inability of students to read and understand simple English.
“Sixty per cent of children in school are unable to read or write simple sentences after six years of basic education. This implies that Ghana cannot achieve the Education for All Goal by 2015.”
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah indicated that the high prevalence of illiteracy exposed millions of Ghanaian children to poverty and deprived them of a life of dignity and fundamental freedoms, as well as their effective development in the national development efforts.
The General Secretary touched on the issue of the single spine salary structure and warned that GNAT would not tolerate its delay and non-implementation.
“The delay in implementation is aggravating matters. Let it be clearly understood that no excuses of delay on non-implementation of the new salary system on the part of government will be tolerated,” she stated.
She said the “loud silence” on the implementation of the single spine salary structure seriously affected the stability of labour relations in the education sector and this was a “de-motivator” and GNAT viewed the government’s silence as nothing but lack of concern.
The Ga West Municipal Director of Education, Mr Daniel Budu Asiedu, commended GNAT for organising the programme.
The Ga West Municipal Chairman of GNAT, Mr Kwame Sakyi, said there was the need to prepare the youth for “this fast changing world”.
Page 11
THE Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is worried that about 41 per cent of primary school teachers of the Ghana Education Service (GES) are untrained.
According to GNAT, the level of training and expertise of educators have serious effects on the quality of education that is given to the youth and adults, and stressed the need for the government to invest in the teachers, since they drive the wheels of education.
The General Secretary of GNAT, Mrs Irene Duncan-Adanusah, expressed the worry at a one-day reading clinic organised by the association for 24 pupils from eight basic schools at Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) and sponsored by EPP Books Limited as part of the Global Action Week celebration.
She said it was through qualified and well-motivated teachers that Ghanaian children could gain quality public education.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah noted that the most effective way through which the youth and adults could gain the knowledge they were searching for, was through correct reading habits.
She observed that while there were millions of people across the world who could not read, there were 75 million children across the world out of school and 776 million adults illiterates, with two thirds being women.
Literacy, she said, was a human right, a tool for personal development, adding that “providing adults with access to literacy programmes and children with access to school are both fundamental steps in tackling poverty”.
She said the 2007 Chief Examiner’s Report of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) indicated that the average Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) pass rate of only 60 per cent achieved nationally over the past five years, was partly due to the inability of students to read and understand simple English.
“Sixty per cent of children in school are unable to read or write simple sentences after six years of basic education. This implies that Ghana cannot achieve the Education for All Goal by 2015.”
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah indicated that the high prevalence of illiteracy exposed millions of Ghanaian children to poverty and deprived them of a life of dignity and fundamental freedoms, as well as their effective development in the national development efforts.
The General Secretary touched on the issue of the single spine salary structure and warned that GNAT would not tolerate its delay and non-implementation.
“The delay in implementation is aggravating matters. Let it be clearly understood that no excuses of delay on non-implementation of the new salary system on the part of government will be tolerated,” she stated.
She said the “loud silence” on the implementation of the single spine salary structure seriously affected the stability of labour relations in the education sector and this was a “de-motivator” and GNAT viewed the government’s silence as nothing but lack of concern.
The Ga West Municipal Director of Education, Mr Daniel Budu Asiedu, commended GNAT for organising the programme.
The Ga West Municipal Chairman of GNAT, Mr Kwame Sakyi, said there was the need to prepare the youth for “this fast changing world”.
Headteacher faces demotion
30-04-09
Head teacher to be demoted for collecting unapproved fees
THE Head Teacher of the Kaneshie Bishop Two Junior High School (JHS), Ms Comfort Nyarko, is to be demoted for asking pupils to pay an unapproved levy of GH¢5 each as their contribution towards the funeral of a dead teacher.
While some of the pupils were able to make the payment, others could not pay and they were sacked from school by the head teacher.
Ms Nyarko is being demoted from her current position to that of a class teacher.
The Accra Metropolitan Director of Education, Nii Okaidja Dinsey, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the decision had been taken to demote Ms Nyarko because the findings of a committee set up to investigate the matter revealed that she collected the money from some students and asked those who could not pay to go home.
He said in the course of the investigations into the matter, following media reports, the head teacher accepted the charges made against her, adding that although she apologised and pleaded for leniency, the decision to demote her had been taken to serve as a deterrent to other teachers.
Mr Dinsey described the action of the head teacher as unnecessary, since the Ghana Education Service (GES) had warned head teachers and teachers against the collection of unapproved levies.
He said apart from circulars issued to that effect, advertisers’ announcements had been made in the newspapers warning teachers against engaging in such acts.
He said during the investigations, the head teacher said the dead teacher had been good and that the collection of the money was to help support his family.
Mr Dinsey said the demotion was part of disciplinary measures contained in the GES code of conduct and that although the action was yet to be communicated to the head teacher, the decision had been taken and sanctioned.
He said Ms Nyarko would be written to when school reopened.
The director appealed to teachers who hid behind parent-teacher associations (PTAs) to collect or extort money from pupils to stop that practice, since disciplinary action would be taken against them when they were caught.
Mr Dinsey said the GES recognised and appreciated the contributions of the PTAs and asked them to seek approval from the service before collecting any money from parents.
“We cannot do without the PTAs because we are fighting for the common goal of pupils,” he said, and indicated that the current action against Ms Nyarko was not witch-hunt but administrative.
Head teacher to be demoted for collecting unapproved fees
THE Head Teacher of the Kaneshie Bishop Two Junior High School (JHS), Ms Comfort Nyarko, is to be demoted for asking pupils to pay an unapproved levy of GH¢5 each as their contribution towards the funeral of a dead teacher.
While some of the pupils were able to make the payment, others could not pay and they were sacked from school by the head teacher.
Ms Nyarko is being demoted from her current position to that of a class teacher.
The Accra Metropolitan Director of Education, Nii Okaidja Dinsey, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the decision had been taken to demote Ms Nyarko because the findings of a committee set up to investigate the matter revealed that she collected the money from some students and asked those who could not pay to go home.
He said in the course of the investigations into the matter, following media reports, the head teacher accepted the charges made against her, adding that although she apologised and pleaded for leniency, the decision to demote her had been taken to serve as a deterrent to other teachers.
Mr Dinsey described the action of the head teacher as unnecessary, since the Ghana Education Service (GES) had warned head teachers and teachers against the collection of unapproved levies.
He said apart from circulars issued to that effect, advertisers’ announcements had been made in the newspapers warning teachers against engaging in such acts.
He said during the investigations, the head teacher said the dead teacher had been good and that the collection of the money was to help support his family.
Mr Dinsey said the demotion was part of disciplinary measures contained in the GES code of conduct and that although the action was yet to be communicated to the head teacher, the decision had been taken and sanctioned.
He said Ms Nyarko would be written to when school reopened.
The director appealed to teachers who hid behind parent-teacher associations (PTAs) to collect or extort money from pupils to stop that practice, since disciplinary action would be taken against them when they were caught.
Mr Dinsey said the GES recognised and appreciated the contributions of the PTAs and asked them to seek approval from the service before collecting any money from parents.
“We cannot do without the PTAs because we are fighting for the common goal of pupils,” he said, and indicated that the current action against Ms Nyarko was not witch-hunt but administrative.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Mentoring ensures staff development
Page 14
March 20, 2009
THE Head of Professional Development of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants, Mr Tony Osude, has underscored the need for organisations to establish an effective mentoring system for staff development.
He said they should also make coaching and mentoring processes available to all staff members.
Mr Osude made the call in a presentation on “Importance of Coaching and Mentoring to Finance Professionals” in Accra last Tuesday.
He said it was incumbent upon organisations to develop finance professionals as coaches and include coaching as part of the training available to all finance professionals.
He stressed the need to establish an external and/or internal coach faculty, and “formally appoint and accredit coaches, establish objectives, methodologies, milestones and measurable outcomes”.
“If this is successful, coaching should become a way of doing business,” he said.
The Country Manager of ACCA, Ms Gifty Ofori, said the programme had been designed for “our approved employers as well as potential employers”.
She said it was to help build the capacity in managing and mentoring the finance person, saying that ensuring the high performance of all employees of the association was paramount.
“This is particularly true for the finance profession as we see greater responsibility and reliance on accountants and finance professionals in making critical business decisions in safeguarding the future success of organisations” he said, adding that “the role of the finance professional has become critically important, now more than ever.”
Ms Ofori said presently the world was facing challenges as the global economy was facing its most severe test in many years, and as the future looked uncertain, “history tells us that those companies that are best placed to survive the economic challenges are those organisations that have continued to invest in recruiting, developing and retaining talented people”.
She said the ACCA approved employment programme had been designed to help employers to derive maximum value from their finance staff, and that the programme enabled professionals to benchmark their training and development practices against ACCA’s best practice training standards.
March 20, 2009
THE Head of Professional Development of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants, Mr Tony Osude, has underscored the need for organisations to establish an effective mentoring system for staff development.
He said they should also make coaching and mentoring processes available to all staff members.
Mr Osude made the call in a presentation on “Importance of Coaching and Mentoring to Finance Professionals” in Accra last Tuesday.
He said it was incumbent upon organisations to develop finance professionals as coaches and include coaching as part of the training available to all finance professionals.
He stressed the need to establish an external and/or internal coach faculty, and “formally appoint and accredit coaches, establish objectives, methodologies, milestones and measurable outcomes”.
“If this is successful, coaching should become a way of doing business,” he said.
The Country Manager of ACCA, Ms Gifty Ofori, said the programme had been designed for “our approved employers as well as potential employers”.
She said it was to help build the capacity in managing and mentoring the finance person, saying that ensuring the high performance of all employees of the association was paramount.
“This is particularly true for the finance profession as we see greater responsibility and reliance on accountants and finance professionals in making critical business decisions in safeguarding the future success of organisations” he said, adding that “the role of the finance professional has become critically important, now more than ever.”
Ms Ofori said presently the world was facing challenges as the global economy was facing its most severe test in many years, and as the future looked uncertain, “history tells us that those companies that are best placed to survive the economic challenges are those organisations that have continued to invest in recruiting, developing and retaining talented people”.
She said the ACCA approved employment programme had been designed to help employers to derive maximum value from their finance staff, and that the programme enabled professionals to benchmark their training and development practices against ACCA’s best practice training standards.
Horrific, 21 perish in two accidents
Twenty-one people were killed on Wednesday night and in the early hours of yesterday in two separate accidents at Bewadze, near Winneba in the Central Region and Akyem-Nkronso, near Apedwa on the Accra-Kumasi road in the Eastern Region.
Sixteen people died in the Bewadze accident a five in the Akyem-Nkronso incident.
In the first accident, a gas tanker collided with a saloon car, exploded and burst into flames, resulting in people getting burnt, some of them beyond recognition. Those killed included two children and a pregnant woman. About 27 others who sustained various degrees of injury were sent to the Korle-Bu and the 37 Military hospitals.
One of the 11 people referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital was pronounced dead on arrival, while three others, two females and a male, died yesterday morning, bringing the total number of people who died in the first accident to 16.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Mr Mustapha Salifu, among the seven surviving victims of the Bewadze accident were five males and two females.
He mentioned those on admission as Anthony Sam, 33; Kezia Krampa, 18; Sadatu Muntari, whose age is unknown; Yussif Mohammed, 30; Kwaku Edwin, 42; Joshua Odartey Lamptey, 14, and Bright Nyarko Nkoom, 19.
The deceased include 10-year-old Kofi, Adisa Kobura, 50; Christine Buah, 50, and an unidentified adult.
The driver of the tanker and one of his mates who managed to survive the accident are in the grips of the police.
The accident, which occurred about 7.30 p.m., involved the tanker, with registration number GE 2115 Z, and a saloon car, with registration number GR 8962 U.
At the time the Daily Graphic team got to the scene about 6.30 a.m. yesterday, smoke was still coming out of a 33-seater Mercedes Benz bus which was about 100 metres away from where the tanker collided with the saloon car.
A few metres from the Benz was the charred body of a woman who had fallen into a trench along the road.
Opposite the spot of the accident was a burnt area stretching about 200 metres.
Two other vehicles that were affected by the raging fire and got burnt in the process were a 33-seater Benz, with registration number GR 8944 B, and an Urvan bus, with registration number CR 461 Z.
Also at the scene of the accident was the tank containing liquefied petroleum gas which had disengaged from the vehicle stuck in between a culvert.
The Winneba Municipal Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), ASP Nana Ofori, told the Daily Graphic that the police were yet to establish the cause of the accident.
He said the driver of the tanker and his mate were giving conflicting statements as to how the accident occurred, adding that the police had since begun investigations into the matter.
However, eyewitnesses said the tanker, which was travelling from Accra towards Apam, burst its left tyre and in the process ran into the lane of the saloon car which was coming from the Apam end towards Winneba.
Following that, they said, there was a loud explosion from the tanker, which caught fire which, in turn, engulfed other vehicles behind it.
The Winneba Municipal Fire Officer, DOI B. K. Nketiah, told the Daily Graphic that it took firemen two hours to put out the fire.
At the Winneba Government Hospital, the officer in charge of the Accidents Unit, Ms Victoria Eduafo, said 34 victims had been brought to the hospital.
Out of the number, seven passed away. Three others died on the spot, while the rest died at the hospital.
In the second accident, a 20-footer container on a DAF truck fell onto the lane of an oncoming 33-seater Mercedes Benz bus, crushing it and killing four persons on the spot.
The accident occurred about 3.45 a.m. yesterday when the trailer of the DAF truck, which was carrying the container which contained several gallons of acid, detached from the main body of the truck, with registration number GE 2882 Z.
It rolled on the road for several metres in the lane of the oncoming Benz bus, crushed it and spilled its contents on those on board the bus.
The DAF truck was said to be travelling from the Tema Port to Niamey, the capital of Niger, while the Benz bus, with registration number ER 611 N, was heading towards Accra from Kwahu Tafo.
Among those who died on the spot were the driver of the Benz bus, who was identified as Richard Kwame Yeboah, and his mate, who was not immediately identified.
Another dead person, who had been rushed to the Suhum Government Hospital where eight others who had sustained injuries had been taken to, have also not been identified yet.
Eyewitnesses said the accident occurred when the driver of the DAF truck, driven by one Abdul Razak, by-passed a stationary Mercedes truck, with registration number GR 605 B, parked in a curve on the shoulders of the road.
They said the driver of the truck, who was said to have spotted the oncoming bus while in the process of by-passing the stationery truck, attempted to slow down and moved back into his lane and, in the process, the trailer detached itself from the main body and fell on the path of the oncoming bus.
The witnesses said while the head of the truck was in the bush, the 20-footer container rolled several yards in the lane of the Benz bus before crashing into the oncoming bus and mangling it in the process.
They said before the accident occurred, the driver of the bus had directed it off its lane in order to avoid the container but rather ran into it. The black plume emanating from the leaking acid also engulfed the area, hampering rescue operations.
Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service from Suhum who went to the scene, however, managed to rescue others and retrieve the bodies of the deceased.
The Suhum District Police Commander, Superintendent Paul Kontomah, confirmed the story and cautioned drivers to be disciplined on the road.
Mr Timothy Gobah also reports that President J.E.A. Mills yesterday visited victims of the Bewadze accident at the 37 Military Hospital Emergency Trauma and Surgical Department to empathise with them.
The President, who was accompanied by the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, and some ministers of state, was at the hospital to also have firsthand information on the accident.
President Mills was taken round the emergency ward by the Commanding Officer of the hospital, Brigadier-General Wade Whani, where he wished the victims speedy recovery.
Dr Yankey, who addressed the media after the visit, said the government would put emergency measures in place to save the lives of those who survived.
He said recent accidents on the Accra-Winneba road had revealed the inadequacies in the health sector and
mentioned the lack of ambulances to deal with emergency cases on the roads and medical equipment in the hospitals as some of the inadequacies that must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
Dr Yankey said his ministry had plans to meet transport owners, as well as players in the industry, to fashion out an inter-sectoral measure to deal with the situation.
He used the occasion to appeal to drivers to be careful on the roads, while urging the public to call on the Fire Service particularly in accidents involving inflammable materials, such as gas and petroleum products.
He commended the medical staff on duty at the Winneba, Suhum, Korle-Bu and 37 Military hospitals for their swift responses to the situation and singled out Dr Armah of Korle-Bu and Major Dr Appiah of the 37 Military Hospital for mention.
Sixteen people died in the Bewadze accident a five in the Akyem-Nkronso incident.
In the first accident, a gas tanker collided with a saloon car, exploded and burst into flames, resulting in people getting burnt, some of them beyond recognition. Those killed included two children and a pregnant woman. About 27 others who sustained various degrees of injury were sent to the Korle-Bu and the 37 Military hospitals.
One of the 11 people referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital was pronounced dead on arrival, while three others, two females and a male, died yesterday morning, bringing the total number of people who died in the first accident to 16.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Mr Mustapha Salifu, among the seven surviving victims of the Bewadze accident were five males and two females.
He mentioned those on admission as Anthony Sam, 33; Kezia Krampa, 18; Sadatu Muntari, whose age is unknown; Yussif Mohammed, 30; Kwaku Edwin, 42; Joshua Odartey Lamptey, 14, and Bright Nyarko Nkoom, 19.
The deceased include 10-year-old Kofi, Adisa Kobura, 50; Christine Buah, 50, and an unidentified adult.
The driver of the tanker and one of his mates who managed to survive the accident are in the grips of the police.
The accident, which occurred about 7.30 p.m., involved the tanker, with registration number GE 2115 Z, and a saloon car, with registration number GR 8962 U.
At the time the Daily Graphic team got to the scene about 6.30 a.m. yesterday, smoke was still coming out of a 33-seater Mercedes Benz bus which was about 100 metres away from where the tanker collided with the saloon car.
A few metres from the Benz was the charred body of a woman who had fallen into a trench along the road.
Opposite the spot of the accident was a burnt area stretching about 200 metres.
Two other vehicles that were affected by the raging fire and got burnt in the process were a 33-seater Benz, with registration number GR 8944 B, and an Urvan bus, with registration number CR 461 Z.
Also at the scene of the accident was the tank containing liquefied petroleum gas which had disengaged from the vehicle stuck in between a culvert.
The Winneba Municipal Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), ASP Nana Ofori, told the Daily Graphic that the police were yet to establish the cause of the accident.
He said the driver of the tanker and his mate were giving conflicting statements as to how the accident occurred, adding that the police had since begun investigations into the matter.
However, eyewitnesses said the tanker, which was travelling from Accra towards Apam, burst its left tyre and in the process ran into the lane of the saloon car which was coming from the Apam end towards Winneba.
Following that, they said, there was a loud explosion from the tanker, which caught fire which, in turn, engulfed other vehicles behind it.
The Winneba Municipal Fire Officer, DOI B. K. Nketiah, told the Daily Graphic that it took firemen two hours to put out the fire.
At the Winneba Government Hospital, the officer in charge of the Accidents Unit, Ms Victoria Eduafo, said 34 victims had been brought to the hospital.
Out of the number, seven passed away. Three others died on the spot, while the rest died at the hospital.
In the second accident, a 20-footer container on a DAF truck fell onto the lane of an oncoming 33-seater Mercedes Benz bus, crushing it and killing four persons on the spot.
The accident occurred about 3.45 a.m. yesterday when the trailer of the DAF truck, which was carrying the container which contained several gallons of acid, detached from the main body of the truck, with registration number GE 2882 Z.
It rolled on the road for several metres in the lane of the oncoming Benz bus, crushed it and spilled its contents on those on board the bus.
The DAF truck was said to be travelling from the Tema Port to Niamey, the capital of Niger, while the Benz bus, with registration number ER 611 N, was heading towards Accra from Kwahu Tafo.
Among those who died on the spot were the driver of the Benz bus, who was identified as Richard Kwame Yeboah, and his mate, who was not immediately identified.
Another dead person, who had been rushed to the Suhum Government Hospital where eight others who had sustained injuries had been taken to, have also not been identified yet.
Eyewitnesses said the accident occurred when the driver of the DAF truck, driven by one Abdul Razak, by-passed a stationary Mercedes truck, with registration number GR 605 B, parked in a curve on the shoulders of the road.
They said the driver of the truck, who was said to have spotted the oncoming bus while in the process of by-passing the stationery truck, attempted to slow down and moved back into his lane and, in the process, the trailer detached itself from the main body and fell on the path of the oncoming bus.
The witnesses said while the head of the truck was in the bush, the 20-footer container rolled several yards in the lane of the Benz bus before crashing into the oncoming bus and mangling it in the process.
They said before the accident occurred, the driver of the bus had directed it off its lane in order to avoid the container but rather ran into it. The black plume emanating from the leaking acid also engulfed the area, hampering rescue operations.
Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service from Suhum who went to the scene, however, managed to rescue others and retrieve the bodies of the deceased.
The Suhum District Police Commander, Superintendent Paul Kontomah, confirmed the story and cautioned drivers to be disciplined on the road.
Mr Timothy Gobah also reports that President J.E.A. Mills yesterday visited victims of the Bewadze accident at the 37 Military Hospital Emergency Trauma and Surgical Department to empathise with them.
The President, who was accompanied by the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, and some ministers of state, was at the hospital to also have firsthand information on the accident.
President Mills was taken round the emergency ward by the Commanding Officer of the hospital, Brigadier-General Wade Whani, where he wished the victims speedy recovery.
Dr Yankey, who addressed the media after the visit, said the government would put emergency measures in place to save the lives of those who survived.
He said recent accidents on the Accra-Winneba road had revealed the inadequacies in the health sector and
mentioned the lack of ambulances to deal with emergency cases on the roads and medical equipment in the hospitals as some of the inadequacies that must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
Dr Yankey said his ministry had plans to meet transport owners, as well as players in the industry, to fashion out an inter-sectoral measure to deal with the situation.
He used the occasion to appeal to drivers to be careful on the roads, while urging the public to call on the Fire Service particularly in accidents involving inflammable materials, such as gas and petroleum products.
He commended the medical staff on duty at the Winneba, Suhum, Korle-Bu and 37 Military hospitals for their swift responses to the situation and singled out Dr Armah of Korle-Bu and Major Dr Appiah of the 37 Military Hospital for mention.
Govt clears arrears of NIA operators
March 19, 2009
Page 3
THE government has released GH¢2,057,400 for the payment of outstanding allowances to the mobile registration workstation (MRW) operators of the National Identification Authority (NIA).
The Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof Ken Attafuah, who announced this at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said the allowances covered the period November and December 2008 and January 2009.
He said the money was released by the Bank of Ghana to the ARB Apex Bank for onward transfer to rural banks through which the operators were paid.
He said the authority had since communicated to the 1,521 operators and CD controllers that they could access their money from March 23, 2009.
He attributed the problem associated with the release of allowances to the elections and the transition from the previous to the current government.
The MRW operators who were contracted by the NIA, on March 2, 2009, embarked on a demonstration in Accra to press home their demand for unpaid allowances.
Dr Attafuah expressed concern over the attitude of the MRW operators who embarked on the demonstration for the release of the money, arguing that at the time they embarked on the demonstration, approval had been given for the release of the money.
He said the authority was a law-abiding institution and had to abide by the processes through which the money had to be released, saying the authority “acted prudently with sensitivity”.
He said the NIA would vary the contract of the operators and that under the variation, the operators would be paid per day when they reported for work.
Dr Attafuah said the payment per day would total GH¢450 to be paid to each operator per month.
He said with the release of the money, the authority would continue with the mass registration exercise in the Volta Region and that equipment had been deployed to the northern part of the region to commence the exercise from March 31, 2009.
The authority has so far undertaken the mass registration exercise in the Central, Western and Eastern regions.
Dr Attafuah said after the Volta Region, the exercise would move to the Greater Accra Region and then to the Ashanti Region.
He said the NIA was satisfied with the exercise carried out in the three regions, saying that its target was to capture 65 per cent of people in a given area.
He said regional and district offices would be set up to continue with the exercise, which was to register both Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians.
All things being equal, Dr Attafuah said, the NIA would start issuing the national ID cards from July this year.
Page 3
THE government has released GH¢2,057,400 for the payment of outstanding allowances to the mobile registration workstation (MRW) operators of the National Identification Authority (NIA).
The Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof Ken Attafuah, who announced this at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said the allowances covered the period November and December 2008 and January 2009.
He said the money was released by the Bank of Ghana to the ARB Apex Bank for onward transfer to rural banks through which the operators were paid.
He said the authority had since communicated to the 1,521 operators and CD controllers that they could access their money from March 23, 2009.
He attributed the problem associated with the release of allowances to the elections and the transition from the previous to the current government.
The MRW operators who were contracted by the NIA, on March 2, 2009, embarked on a demonstration in Accra to press home their demand for unpaid allowances.
Dr Attafuah expressed concern over the attitude of the MRW operators who embarked on the demonstration for the release of the money, arguing that at the time they embarked on the demonstration, approval had been given for the release of the money.
He said the authority was a law-abiding institution and had to abide by the processes through which the money had to be released, saying the authority “acted prudently with sensitivity”.
He said the NIA would vary the contract of the operators and that under the variation, the operators would be paid per day when they reported for work.
Dr Attafuah said the payment per day would total GH¢450 to be paid to each operator per month.
He said with the release of the money, the authority would continue with the mass registration exercise in the Volta Region and that equipment had been deployed to the northern part of the region to commence the exercise from March 31, 2009.
The authority has so far undertaken the mass registration exercise in the Central, Western and Eastern regions.
Dr Attafuah said after the Volta Region, the exercise would move to the Greater Accra Region and then to the Ashanti Region.
He said the NIA was satisfied with the exercise carried out in the three regions, saying that its target was to capture 65 per cent of people in a given area.
He said regional and district offices would be set up to continue with the exercise, which was to register both Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians.
All things being equal, Dr Attafuah said, the NIA would start issuing the national ID cards from July this year.
Grant tax relief for teachers in deprived areas
Page 43
March 19, 2009
A CIVIL society organisation, the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC), has called on the government to grant tax relief to teachers posted to deprived areas of the country.
That, it said, was to serve as an incentive to attract teachers, especially quality ones, to such areas to address the geographical disparity of teacher distribution, as well as improve educational delivery in the country.
“GNECC believes that the teacher is at the centre of education in Ghana for which reason we welcome moves by the government to motive them.
“We are also enthused by the recognition of huge disparities in teacher deployment along rural and urban lines,” the National Co-ordinator of the GNECC, Mr Leslie Tettey, said at a news conference in Accra last Monday.
The news conference was organised by the coalition to enable it to comment on some of the educational policies and programmes announced by the government in its 2009 budget.
Mr Tettey said the government should be realistic and give true meaning to its commitment in ensuring equity in the distribution of teachers in the country by mustering the political will to implement proposals which had seen no consideration over the past five years.
“Lessons from the past indicate that any other ad-hoc and ineffective incentive mechanism will only amount to a drain on scarce educational resources as it may not produce the desired outcome,” he said.
He said the coalition was also disturbed about the fact that 41 per cent of primary school teachers were untrained, and that most of those teachers were Community Education Teaching Assistants who had been engaged under the National Youth Employment Programme.
Mr Tettey said the GNECC was of the view that some key issues relating to the provision of quality education as provided by the government in the 2009 budget was commendable, and mentioned such issues as the abolishing of all unapproved levies and the provision of school uniforms for children in basic schools in deprived communities.
The coalition welcomed the government’s intention to subsidise the registration fees for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and abolish fees in basic schools.
It, however, advised the government to ensure that terminal and promotional examination fees were abolished.
“Most children in deprived communities are unable to afford terminal and promotional examination fees of up to GH¢3 a term. These unfortunate children are prevented from writing examinations on the grounds of defaulting in the payment of examination fees,” Mr Tettey emphasised.
He said in the spirit of the Constitution, the coalition was calling on the government to expand its policy of distributing free exercise books to pupils in public schools to include private schools “to give true meaning to the public/private sector partnership to basic education”.
Mr Tettey, on behalf of the coalition, applauded the government for the increment in the Capitation Grant from GH¢3 to GH¢4.5 per child per term, saying that although the GNECC had advocated an increment of the grant from GH¢3 to GH¢5, “we consequently wish to reiterate the fact that the creation of a threshold for rural schools is very essential in ensuring equity in the disbursement of the Capitation Grant”.
The GNECC is a network of civil society organisations, professional bodies, education and research institutions and individuals interested in promoting quality basic education for all.
March 19, 2009
A CIVIL society organisation, the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC), has called on the government to grant tax relief to teachers posted to deprived areas of the country.
That, it said, was to serve as an incentive to attract teachers, especially quality ones, to such areas to address the geographical disparity of teacher distribution, as well as improve educational delivery in the country.
“GNECC believes that the teacher is at the centre of education in Ghana for which reason we welcome moves by the government to motive them.
“We are also enthused by the recognition of huge disparities in teacher deployment along rural and urban lines,” the National Co-ordinator of the GNECC, Mr Leslie Tettey, said at a news conference in Accra last Monday.
The news conference was organised by the coalition to enable it to comment on some of the educational policies and programmes announced by the government in its 2009 budget.
Mr Tettey said the government should be realistic and give true meaning to its commitment in ensuring equity in the distribution of teachers in the country by mustering the political will to implement proposals which had seen no consideration over the past five years.
“Lessons from the past indicate that any other ad-hoc and ineffective incentive mechanism will only amount to a drain on scarce educational resources as it may not produce the desired outcome,” he said.
He said the coalition was also disturbed about the fact that 41 per cent of primary school teachers were untrained, and that most of those teachers were Community Education Teaching Assistants who had been engaged under the National Youth Employment Programme.
Mr Tettey said the GNECC was of the view that some key issues relating to the provision of quality education as provided by the government in the 2009 budget was commendable, and mentioned such issues as the abolishing of all unapproved levies and the provision of school uniforms for children in basic schools in deprived communities.
The coalition welcomed the government’s intention to subsidise the registration fees for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and abolish fees in basic schools.
It, however, advised the government to ensure that terminal and promotional examination fees were abolished.
“Most children in deprived communities are unable to afford terminal and promotional examination fees of up to GH¢3 a term. These unfortunate children are prevented from writing examinations on the grounds of defaulting in the payment of examination fees,” Mr Tettey emphasised.
He said in the spirit of the Constitution, the coalition was calling on the government to expand its policy of distributing free exercise books to pupils in public schools to include private schools “to give true meaning to the public/private sector partnership to basic education”.
Mr Tettey, on behalf of the coalition, applauded the government for the increment in the Capitation Grant from GH¢3 to GH¢4.5 per child per term, saying that although the GNECC had advocated an increment of the grant from GH¢3 to GH¢5, “we consequently wish to reiterate the fact that the creation of a threshold for rural schools is very essential in ensuring equity in the disbursement of the Capitation Grant”.
The GNECC is a network of civil society organisations, professional bodies, education and research institutions and individuals interested in promoting quality basic education for all.
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