Take assessment of students serious – teachers urged
Kpone-Katamanso (G/A) Mr Francis Mishiame, the Circuit Supervisor of the Kpone-Katamanso Municipality has urged teachers to pay much attention to students assessment so as to find solutions to their shortcomings in their academic work.
He said this would help the students to compete with their colleagues from other schools in external examination and come out with good results.
Mr Mishiame gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at a day’s assessment workshop organised by the SOS Children’s Villages Ghana under its Quality Education Now in collaboration with Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Education Office, in the Greater Accra Region.
It was attended by 60 teachers drawn from some schools in Kpone-Katamanso Municipality including Sebrepor Presby Basic ‘A’ and ‘B’, Gbetsile KKMA Basic ‘1’, ‘2’ and Junior High School (JHS), Kpone-Katamanso Primary ‘1’, ‘2’ and JHS.
The teachers were taken through techniques in assessment, categories of assessment, functions, strategies for making written exercise effective, and administering tests.
Mr Mishiame said teaching and learning was becoming dynamic, and therefore teachers needed to be trained to be abreast with the changing times, so that they could provide schoolchildren quality education.
The Supervisor asked teachers to provide examples of academic work as they assigned students homework so that they could be assisted at home without any difficulty.
Mr Isaac Asamoah, the Kpone-Katamanso Circuit Education Training Officer, said learning could not be complete without assessment of students, which go to prompt the teachers to put up their best in teaching.
He reminded the teachers that caning of students had been banned, saying that there were so many ways of correcting schoolchildren when they go wayward, and therefore teachers should avoid the practice.
Source: Ghana News Agency
Women in the Media react to Midland Bank assault
Accra- The Association of Women in the Media (ASWIM) has requested that investigations showing the barbaric assault on a woman be made public and dealt with swiftly as justice delayed is justice denied.
A video the association sighted on social media showing the barbaric assault on a woman reportedly in Midland Savings and Loans banking hall to withdraw money she lodged there.
The reports indicated that she was asked to leave the bank to return the following day but refused because she needed her money badly to provide for her family.
The association had since been highly detested by the action of the policeman who had reportedly taken unlawful powers to himself by virtue of his police uniform to abuse the unfortunate woman regardless of the fact that she had done nothing to be molested.
The association was surprised that she was assaulted by a supposedly peace officer when all she demanded was to withdraw her money from the bank.
She was already in the banking hall and it was imperative that she would be served. Unfortunately, when someone decided to intervene, he took the baby from her arms and left her in the hands of the policeman to continue to assault her.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Madam Mavis Kitcher, the Interim President of the association and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Saturday.
She stated that, ‘It is unbelievable that the bank would slow a poor powerless woman to be treated in such a brutal manner if indeed, she was only there to withdraw her money’, adding that, anyone who has watched this video should be very worried about what the Ghanaian society is turning into.
Madam Kitcher said it was even more heart-rending with the fact that such an inhuman act could occur in the full glare of workers of the bank and the public.
She added that the incident and others which had happened in the past involving police officials clearly indicated the need for persons of the Police Service to be constantly educated in understanding their role as peace officers and not bullies by virtue of their uniform.
The association had found difficulty as to why workers of the bank and other customers in the banking hall did not go to the rescue of the woman with a baby in her arms.
Let this not be another matter that cause mere public condemnation but one that would ensure that the justice system would play the key role and punish one who is found culpable.
Source: Ghana News Agency
Bawumia urges Vodafone to give customers unmatched experience
Accra- Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President has urged Vodafone to give its customers unmatched experiences in the telecommunication industry.
He noted that the telecommunication industry contributed to development of the educational and health sectors and also created databank for financial and national inclusion, adding that Vodafone was not an exception.
We will also do everything in our power to make spectrum available to Ghanaians, he said.
Dr Bawumia said this at the 10th anniversary launch and dinner of Vodafone Ghana in Accra when he was giving his keynote speech.
Speaking about mobile money interoperability, he said Ghana’s interoperability was more advanced than that of Kenya and taking leadership on the continent.
By next year, we should have an electronic device or app that would allow us to file and pay taxes electronically. By this we won’t use cash so that we don’t have missing cash somewhere because we need to promote transparency, he said.
Dr Bawumia said Vodafone and other telecom companies thrived on a predictive regulatory environment that made them collaborate to promote development in the country.
Ms Yolanda Cuba, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana addressing the attendees noted that the Company had exhibited creativity over the past 10 years and that an effective communication possibility for all their customers was a priority.
She said the State was currently in a knowledge economy or a digital world where the Company would work tirelessly to give the public the best in telecommunication.
The future is exciting with Vodafone. Ready? We chose this theme because we are confident that we will be with you in the future and contribute significantly to the government’s telecom industry, she said.
Ms Cuba stressed that telecom was changing 80 per cent of human endeavours and therefore Vodafone was partnering its sister company Safaricom in Kenya to ensure that it enhanced digital and financial inclusion in the country.
She said the Company believed in the potential and capacity of Ghana to contribute to the development of Africa.
I am more encouraged, I am the human that I am and challenged to get bigger dreams for Vodafone. We will use our technology to support our shareholders, customers and we will never give up, she said.
Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, Minister of Communication making an address at the event said the Sector looked forward to Vodafone offering their customers better services all the time, adding that Ghana has no option than to promote leveraging of technological advancement to promote the economy.
She emphasised that customers deserved efficiency, reliability and satisfaction in delivery of services from telecom Companies especially Vodafone.
Mrs Owusu Ekuful said the Sector would work towards the formulation of policies that would promote competition among the communication field including the telecom industries for customers to have choices.
She commended Vodafone for their contribution in promoting socio-economic development, adding: I was shocked when I read that Vodafone provides 1,117 direct employment and 520,000 indirect employment to the citizenry.
Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, Former President of the Republic who also attended the event urged Vodafone not to change its identity as a telecom company known for innovations.
Unfortunately for you, you’ve set such a high standard for yourself that you dare not depart from. You will rather be expected to set much higher standards for yourself and I am a loyal customer, he said.
Mr Agyekum Kufuor also expressed his profound gratitude to Vodafone Ghana for having honoured him at the event on helping the brand attain 70 per cent of Ghana Telecom during his administration as the President of the Republic in 2008 and for being a loyal customer to the Company.
A number of Artistes performed at the event includined Highlife Legend Nana Ampadu, Reggae and Dancehall Artiste Samini, and Afropop Singer Adina.
Source: Ghana News Agency
Thirteen commissioned pastors sign code of professional discipline and ethics
Accra- Thirteen newly commissioned pastors of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPCG) were at the Church headquarters in Ho to sign EPCG’s Code of Professional Discipline and Ethics for Pastors.
The ceremony was supervised by the members of the Standing Committee, Moderator of the General Assembly, Right. Reverend Dr Senyo Seth Agidi, Clerk of the General Assembly, Reverend Dr E.A.K. Amey and the Presbyter Executive, Mr Jonas Gershon Dzodzodzi.
This was contained in a statement from the EPCG and copied to the Ghana News Agency, Accra.
This is the first time that newly Commissioned Pastors were painstakingly taken through and made to sign the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana Code of Professional Discipline and Ethics for Pastors
The Commissioners agreed to the content of the document and thus appended their signatures with witnesses being some of the EPCG Programme Officers at the Headquarters and other Reverend Ministers present at the ceremony, the statement said.
The Standing Committee members also signed their respective portions. The Commissioners each took a copy of the signed document away while a second copy was placed on their personal files at the Church administration.
According to the statement, the newly commissioned Pastors have the full authority by the EPCG to administer the sacraments and to perform other pastoral duties of the Church, including baptism, confirmation, the Holy Communion, burial, pastoral counselling and visitation.
However, as Commissioners, they were barred from officiating marriages under the Ordinance until after their probationary period and subsequent gazetting.
The document enjoined the Pastors to preach the inspired truth of the Holy Scriptures as the sole authority, terms of reference and yard-stick for their personal conduct and professional ethics throughout their lives.
They were also enjoined among other things to maintain a high standard of probity, avoiding all sorts of debased life and licentiousness and debauchery as well as maintain a high level personal appearance.
By agreeing to sign the Church’s Code of Professional Discipline and Ethics for Pastors the Probationers have given their consent to accept transfer to any station and at any time should the need arise, the statement stated
Failure to do so will result in suspension without pay and or being debarred from performing any functions as a pastor of the Church.
The document further outlines the various stages of disciplinary actions and sanctions to be employed in case of the flouting the regulations outlined to govern the professional ethics of the Reverend Ministers of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana.
Source: Ghana News Agency
Girls’ Iron-Folate Tablet Supplementary programme registers 3,200 in 2017
Dambai, (V/R) – The Girls’ Iron-Folate Tablet Supplementary (GIFTS) programme registered over 3,256 beneficiaries in 2017 in the Krachi East Municipal Assembly of the Volta Region.
According to the Krachi East Municipal Health Directorate, of the total number; 2690 were in-school girls and 566 out-of-school girls.
The GIFTS programme was launched by the Government in 2017 as an attempt to reduce extremely alarming high rate of anaemia among adolescent girls in Ghana.
Mr Solomon Konja, the Krachi East District Nutrition Officer noted that all 44 schools and 21 health facilities in Krachi East were delivering the GIFTS programme, to tackle anaemia which reduced the energy levels among girls and children.
He underscored the need for a strong social mobilisation drive at the community level through durbars, radio discussions, use of public address system, churches, mosques, and regular visits to schools to increase GIFTS uptake at the community level.
Mr Konja made these remarks in his presentation when a joint delegation of the United Nations Children’s’ Fund (UNICEF) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) paid a courtesy call on the Krachi East Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Patrick Charty Jilima at Dambai.
The visit was to enable the delegation to have an overview of the District and programme priorities on adolescent girls.
The GIFTS programme which is being implemented by UNICEF with support funding from KOICA aims at addressing the high prevalence of anaemia among girls aged 10 to 19 years in Ghana.
GIFTS is also being implemented under the Better Life for Girls (BLG) initiative which aims at providing adolescent girls in Ghana with knowledge , skills, and an enabling environment to enable them make informed decisions on issues affecting them and to help them reach their full potential.
Mr Konja said they observed an effective implementation of GIFT by some schools and health facilities, however, there was a need for a continuous education of adolescents girls on GIFTS because; as some changed their mind after hearing one or two myths from their peers.
He added that among the challenges were the misconceptions of Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) tablet as family planning pills and inadequate knowledge of adolescent girls on the benefits of IFA tablets.
Since October 2017, the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, UNICEF and KOICA have been collaborating to provide Iron and Folate tablets and as well educate girls about nutrition.
Every Wednesday, during the school term the in-school GIFTS provides each girl with a combined Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) tablet by Direct Observation Treatment (DOT) in Dambai.
The out-of-school GIFTS provide girls with one tablet by DOT at the health facility and a remaining monthly supply of three tablets for home treatment.
Health and Nutrition education sessions are delivered in schools and in health facilities to equip boys and girls with knowledge on iron and anaemia prevention and control.
In another development UNICEF and KOICA paid a visit to the Dambai Health Centre, one of the GIFTS designated health facilities; to observe community- based GIFTS supplementation, and as well interacted with health workers and out-of-school girls.
In an interview with Ghana News Agency, Dr Abigail Amenu, Acting Medical Superintendent at Dambai Health Centre, said they were doing their best to encourage young girls to visit the facility through the help of some community volunteers who were keen to assist the programme.
She said one individual had formed an adolescent club in his community and ensured that the adolescent girls came regularly for their drugs.
Dr Amenu stated that due to the poverty rate within the area, feeding was a problem; and could not be assured of them having a balanced diet to give them enough iron and blood.
She therefore commended UNICEF and KOICA for their interventions which were geared towards adolescent girls’ empowerment.
Source: Ghana News Agency
