Day: March 19, 2024

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Election Manifestos must address inequalities in rural-urban education – NGO


The Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), an education think tank, has challenged political parties to develop purposive interventions in their manifestos that will bridge the rural-urban gap in basic education for a balanced growth in the sector.

It observed that basic schools in rural communities had suffered discrimination in the deployment of resources for ages, resulting in poor quality of education and academic performance.

Mr Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Eduwatch, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said majority of Ghana’s schools under trees were in rural communities where education was characterised by the lack of furniture, inadequate teachers, textbooks and teaching materials, among others.

Owing to the lack of Junior High Schools in some areas, many students dropped out of school after primary six, he added.

‘Our message to the political parties is that it is not okay to accept the tradition that schools in deprived areas must see the children sleeping on floors to write,
go to school without adequate teachers and textbooks and not pass well as urban schools,’ he said.

‘As a country, if we are using education as a tool to eradicate poverty and reengineer our society, our education system cannot itself be another tool for discrimination.’

Mr Asare said the next government must focus on committing resources that would favour deprived schools to create a level playing field across board.

He contended for instance, that rural schools must receive high capitation grants and teacher deployments than urban schools where teachers were in some instances, overpopulated.

‘If we give the rural schools the same facilities and resources as urban school, I am sure government won’t have to give protocol allocations to rural public schools before they can have access to the category A schools.

‘We want the manifestos of the political parties to focus on bridging the rural urban divide so that we can have a fair playing field as we move towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals i
n the next six years,’ he stressed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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‘Let’s reaffirm our commitment to education – NUGS President


Mr Daniel Oppong Kyeremeh, President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has called on students to reaffirm their commitment to the noble cause of education.

He said it was important for students to understand the pivotal role that education played in shaping not only their futures but also the future of the country.

According to him, education was not merely the acquisition of knowledge, but also the cornerstone of progress, development, and empowerment.

Mr Kyeremeh was speaking at the maiden edition of NUGS education conference held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.

It was on the theme: ‘The Role of Education in National Transformation and Employment’.

The purpose of the conference was to give students from tertiary and senior high institutions the platform to deliberate, discuss, and engage stakeholders to delve into the various dimensions of educational reform, innovation, and inclusivity.

Mr Kyeremeh underscored the need for students to rededica
te themselves to the pursuit of excellence in all their endeavours to enable them to build a brighter future for themselves.

The NUGS President explained that from early childhood education to tertiary levels, NUGS aim to explore strategies that would not only improve educational outcomes, but also foster a culture of lifelong learning and holistic development.

He said the commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive student community had been brought to life through a myriad of activities, including symposiums, and leadership trainings, to exhilarating social events, impassioned advocacies, benevolent interventions, through representations of the NUGS.

He said NUGS had cultivated an environment that not only nurtured academic prowess, but also fostered camaraderie and cultural exchange and that the resounding success of these activities was a testament to the shared commitment to holistic student development.

However, Mr Kyeremeh noted that amidst the aspirations for educational excellence and nationa
l transformation, there were still challenges confronting NUGS which could not be ignored.

These challenges included funds mobilization for student activities, the uncapping of GETFund, and victimization of SRC/NUGS executives in member institutions.

Others were the request for full autonomy of Teacher Training Colleges, the exorbitant hikes in accommodation prices in various universities, among others.

In the face of these challenges, he commended the Minister of Education and other stakeholders in the education sector for their unwavering commitment to advancing the educational agenda.

He, however, implored leaders and policymakers to consider students’ concerns with empathy and urgency.

He also called for considerations in addressing the pressing issues of funds mobilization, the uncapping of GETFund, ensuring the safety and autonomy of SRC/NUGS executives, and mitigating the financial strain on students caused by accommodation price hikes.

Mr Kyeremeh also urged students to actively participate in t
he deliberations, to share their thoughts, experiences, and aspirations, and to collaborate in pursuit of a shared vision of a more equitable, accessible, and transformative education system.

He advised students to have a crucial role to play in advocating for positive change, challenging the status quo, and championing inclusive policies that leave no one behind.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Akenten Appiah-Menka University develops 78 TVET related academic courses


The Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), has developed 78 new programmes related to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and entrepreneurial education.

A total of 38 of the programmes are fully accredited and the rest are at various stages of accreditation.

Professor Frederick Kwaku Sarfo, Vice Chancellor of the University, who announced this, said the university had managed to increase its academic programmes from 42 to over 120 since 2020.

Speaking at the 2nd congregation of the university in Kumasi, he said the university had also increased its enrolment since it was granted autonomy in 2020.

He said before the autonomy, the student population was 17,639.

Professor Sarfo said this year, 11,027 applicants were admitted and registered and this increased the students’ population on campus to 30,453.

A total of 1,190 students were conferred with certificates, diplomas, bachelors’, masters’ and doctorate degrees.

Prof. Sarfo said the
staff of the university were undergoing continuous training and motivating them to use competence-based training methodology in instructional delivery.

Also, the university was strengthening its collaborations with about 35 local institutions and companies and 25 international agencies and institutions to improve academic training, internships, and mentorships.

He said the construction of the ultra-modern entrepreneurship and business incubation centre to energise, empower, direct invention innovation and business creation among students, was 89 percent complete.

A 1,500-seater lecture block had also been constructed to augment lecture facilities, while a four-storey Opoku Ware II, hall of residence extension block to expand residential accommodation for students, had also been completed.

Professor Sarfo pointed out that, the board and management was doing everything possible to expand academic infrastructure at both the Kumasi and Mampong campuses of the university to meet the growing students’ enrolment
and improve on teaching and learning.

He called on the government to assist the young university by providing additional lecture halls and residential accommodation for the students, as well as workshops and laboratories with modern tools and equipment to cope with the increasing number of students.

Prof, Sarfo also called for the completion of the 3,500-capacity Convention Centre which had been abandoned for over a decade, to provide a conducive atmosphere for holding academic and social events at the university.

Mr Paul Akwasi Agyeman, Chairman of the University Council, called on the government to help the young university in terms of infrastructural development to enable it to achieve its mandate of producing skillful, competent, and innovative human resource for the country’s technical and vocational development.

He called on the graduands to use the skills and knowledge acquired effectively to impact positively on society.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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GES Director calls for urgent steps to secure school lands at Nabdam


Madam Mary Magdalene Wompakeah, the Nabdam District Director of Education, has called on major stakeholders to work together to secure lands belonging to schools in the district.

She said most school lands in the district were being encroached upon and the Directorate was finding it difficult to handle such issues.

She appealed to the two paramount chiefs, sub-chiefs and the District Assembly to address the challenge.

‘I wish to make a special appeal to the two paramount chiefs in the district and the district chief executive to make frantic efforts to get all school lands demarcated and documented,’ she stated.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Madam Wompakeah said such a move would help the Directorate to have a better plan for the expansion of the schools in future, to provide access to the growing population.

She emphasised that the district was growing and some of the schools would have to be expanded to provide access to education, however, the encroachment would hinder the expansion and
progress of the schools if not tackled immediately.

The district had only one public senior high school, and given the growing number of students being produced at the basic school level every year, there was the need for an additional second-cycle institution in the form of a technical or vocational school to train the youth, the Director noted.

That would afford the youth the opportunity to acquire employable skills and contribute to national development while reducing social vices.

‘I want to again make a passionate appeal to the government to absorb the Sakoti Methodist Senior High Technical School and furnish it with the necessary logistics to put the building to proper use,’ she added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Ghana Armed Forces, Police to explore avenues to ensure continuous peace


The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah Monday called on the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare at the Police Headquarters in Accra.

The visit was to enhance collaboration between the Police and the Ghana Armed Forces and explore avenues to ensure the continuous peace and security of the country.

A statement issued in Accra said it was the maiden official visit by Lt. Gen. Oppong-Peprah to the Police Headquarters since assuming the highest Military Office.

The CDS assured the Police leadership of maintaining the strong working relationship between the two institutions for the betterment of Ghana, building upon the legacies of his predecessors.

Dr. Akuffo Dampare congratulated the CDS on his appointment and expressed gratitude for the visit and also assured him of the commitment of the Police Administration to continuously work with the Ghana Armed Forces and all the sister security agencies in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Developing countries urged to take environmental sustainability issues seriously


Professor De-Graft Owusu-Manu, President of Green Communities International, said developing countries including Ghana, must take environmental sustainability issues seriously.

By doing so, the countries would directly and indirectly be resolving climate issues, preserving the planet and natural resources such as water and air.

‘Building a sustainable future and cultivating sustainable ways of living will reduce pollution and protect habitats of plants,’ he said.

Speaking at the media launch of the first International Conference on Environment, Social Governance and Sustainable Development Agenda of Africa (ICESDA) in Kumasi, Prof Owusu-Manu said developing countries could achieve these through strong and effective collaboration between academia and industry.

He cited Rwanda and Cote d’Ivoire as countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, which were confronting sustainability issues hands-on in the right direction, adding that Ghana needed to emulate.

He said Ghana could conform to the Environment, Social and Gover
nance (ESG) factors to explicitly measure sustainability performance to ensure responsible investments and commit to a social impact agenda.

‘While businesses are making profits, they should take care of the people working in the business to thrive as well as protecting the planet through actions; our actions and inactions should not destroy the planet,’ he emphasized.

Prof. Owusu-Manu, who is the Chairman of the Conference dubbed ‘ICESDA 2024’ scheduled to take place on 26th-29th March 2024 in Kumasi, explained that the programme would offer participants the opportunity to showcase their sustainable lifestyles, contributions and pathways in addressing the Sustainable Development Goals.

The programme would be held on the theme ‘Enhancing Environment, Social, Governance and Sustainability for Africa’s Development’.

The conference would bring teams from across the globe to discuss actionable insights on how to engage stakeholders in resolving issues for sustainable solutions in their business value chain.

Topics to be discussed would bother on sustainable innovations in the built environment ecosystem, social entrepreneurship and indigenous knowledge management.

Other topics would include food security and climate-smart agricultural technologies (precision agriculture and greenhouse agriculture), urban mobility, sustainable innovations in marine plastics, and textile and microfibre technology.

Dr. Christian Mensah Sewordor, Co-Chairman of ICESDA 2024, called on stakeholders to act through research to protect ecosystems and enhance sustainability.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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NAPRM-GC equips District Oversight Committees with knowledge on AfCFTA


The National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRM-GC), has empowered the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) District Oversight Committee (DOC) with information on the Targeted Review of Ghana and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The engagement, held in Takoradi, was in partnership with the Western Region Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and sought to equip the DOC with the necessary knowledge on Ghana’s Targeted Review of corporate governance as a catalyst to the implementation of the AfCFTA.

This is to enable the DOC to educate Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to help them better understand how they could take advantage of the opportunities in the AfCFTA to spur the growth of local businesses.

The Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, Chairperson of the NAPRM-GC, in an address read on his behalf, said the APRM stood as a testament to the commitment of African nations towards self-improvement and accountability.

He said the Mechani
sm was rooted in the principles of democracy, governance, corporate governance and socio-economic development, while serving as a vital tool for fostering growth and stability across the continent.

According to him, the Targeted Review of Ghana provided a roadmap for the development of a National Programme of Action (NPoA), a strategic framework aimed at empowering businesses and strengthening their capacity to thrive within the AfCFTA, to help boost intra-African trade and economic integration.

He said the DOC was, therefore, vital to the successful implementation of the APRM, saying it served as a grassroots advocate for good governance and community development.

‘We have gathered here to identify how as a people we will be able to equip our MSMEs to enjoy the benefits of this free trade agreement by means of empowerment, and the success of our endeavours relies heavily on collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders,’ Most Rev. Prof Asante stated.

He, therefore, charged the Committee members to wor
k assiduously to ensure the full participation of local businesses in the AfCFTA to help boost economic growth in the country.

Madam Winifred Asare, the acting Executive Secretary of the NAPRM-GC, said APRM came into being in 2003 as a voluntary tool for self-assessment, peer learning and experience sharing in democracy and good governance for African Union member states.

She said Ghana’s journey within the APRM framework had been marked by significant strides since its initial review in 2006, saying the Governing Council had been instrumental in promoting good governance and facilitating positive change.

She noted that the DOC had served as the mouthpiece of the Governing Council to disseminate vital information across the country to community-based organizations and businesses as part of efforts to achieve its mandates.

She stated that the engagement was, therefore, to broaden the knowledge and understanding of participants on the Targeted Review of Ghana and its contributions to enhance the participati
on of the informal businesses in intra-African trade under the AfCFTA in Ghana.

Mrs Angela Carmen Appiah, President of the Institute of Directors-Ghana, speaking on the role of corporate governance practice in enhancing MSMEs readiness for AfCFTA, asked local businesses to put in place systems and structures that would promote accountability, transparency, and efficiency in the business.

She said all these were prerequisites to boost investor confidence and partnerships for the growth of their businesses.

Mr Patrick Adu Osei, Chief Programme Officer at the NAPRM-GC Secretariat, touching on Ghana’s Targeted Review of corporate governance as a catalyst to the implementation of the AfCFTA, said corporate governance was what allowed businesses to grow and thrive in a way that built strong fundamentals for future growth.

‘For Africa, corporate governance is crucial to building businesses that use entrusted resources efficiently, resulting in the greatest benefits for the majority of the people,’ he said.

The
District Oversight Committees are made up of key community stakeholders including, traditional and religious authorities, representatives from youth groups, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Persons With Disabilities, and other opinion leaders, with officials of the NCCE in both Regional and District offices being the lead members.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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KAIPTC Project on Preventing Violent Extremism in sub-region ends


The Prevention of Violent Extremism, Radicalisation and Small Arms Proliferation in the Sahel and Adjoining Coastal Countries in West Africa Project by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has ended.

The one-year project, in collaboration with the Government of Japan and the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), which commenced from March 2023 to March 2024, aimed to address the escalating insecurity in the West African sub-region.

The project sought to improve knowledge and information-sharing among security personnel and civil society actors in preventing and countering terrorism, violent extremism, and small arms proliferation, diversions and trafficking in seven countries in West Africa including Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

It deployed capacity development, training of trainers, and a regional policy and experience-sharing seminar, in a way that also sought to contribute to enhancing the activities of the Accra Initiative.

At the
end of the project, some 92 participants had their capacities enhanced through the project interventions.

At an End-Of-Project Steering Committee meeting to review project activities and reflect on the progress of the intervention, Major General Richard Addo Gyane, the Commandant of KAIPTC said it was through such initiatives that could enhance crisis response activities and build a more resilient and secure future for the region.

He said despite ongoing efforts in the Sahel region, there had been a concerning rise in extremist and militant attacks, particularly targeting civilians and security forces.

Among other interventions, he said the Accra Initiative, launched in 2017 with the aim of addressing the escalating insecurity associated with violent extremism in the region, was critical.

Maj Gen Gyane, therefore, commended the dedication and hard work of all stakeholders involved in the project, from its partners in the government of Japan and the UNDP to the Small Arms Commissions, Civil Society Organis
ations, Counter Terorism Units, and the Accra Initiative.

‘As we look forward to the future, let us remain committed to the cause of peace and security in the Sahel region and beyond. Let us build upon the successes of this project and continue to work together towards a safer and more prosperous West Africa,’ the Commandant expressed optimism.

Mr Hisanobu Mochizuki, Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, reiterated the importance of the project which had been implemented at a critical time in the Sahel and West African Region.

He said activities of extremist groups had devastated countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger with growing terrorist threats in the Sahel region also further increasing towards coastal counties in Cote D’Ivoire, Benin and Togo.

Those terrorist acts, the Japanese Ambassador said, had escalated due to the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the region.

He said with ECOWAS and other regional cooperation frameworks such as the Accra Initiative, Japan was committed to contribut
ing to regional peace as announced during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida.

Amb Mochizuki said the Prime Minister’s announcement to provide 500 million US dollars over the next three years for the Sahel region and neighbouring coastal countries of the Gulf of Guinea was proof of Japan’s focus on strengthening the stability of the region.

Mr Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP, noted that activities of extremists and terrorists were spreading across the region and undermining human security.

He said the threat to wider security of the sub-region also put the economic, social, political and environmental gains made towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals at risk.

‘Looking ahead beyond this successful project, we must continue to advance a proactive and preventive regional response. The causes and effects of terrorism and violent extremism do not respect national borders,’ Mr Khoshmukhamedov said.

Mr John Pokoo, Programmes Head, Conflict Management
Programme, KAIPTC, who reiterated the success of the project by building the capacities of 92 participants, said the eight motorbikes were procured for four out of seven target countries including Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire.

Source: Ghana News Agency