Category: Science

Somanya (E/R), Professor Joseph Kofi Teye, Director of Research, Office of Research, Innovation, and Development, University of Ghana, has challenged the Ghanaian political leadership to counter neopatrimonialism in order to accelerate Ghana’s socioeconomic development.

Describing neopatrimonialism as the use of public resources by political leaders for personal benefit, which makes the country poorer, individuals richer, he said: “This is called state capture, and it is not good for socio-economic development. It can also lead to poor quality of projects.”

Professor Teye delivered this remark at the Yilo State Homecoming Summit 2022, which was hosted by the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly in Somanya in the Eastern Region, on the theme: “Yilo Beyond Politics: Harnessing Our Development Potentials.”

It was meant to rally the people of Yilo for the socio-economic development of the Yilo state.

Practices such as equity in resource allocation to individuals and communities should be encouraged, Prof. said, and urged that supporters of both the ruling party and the opposition parties should be part of the planning, designing, and implementation of development initiatives.

He also advised that the function of the civil service should not be jeopardised since it might lead to a fall in performance, noting, for example, that the desire to appoint political party supporters to occupy certain positions tended to create overstaffing in several government offices.

“Some new governments may also transfer public officials associated with the previous regime to rural areas,” he added, emphasising the need to eschew the practise and rather work collaboratively to capitalise on business opportunities.

He further recommended that sub-groups be formed to design community development projects such as hospitals and police stations, as well as explore opportunities in sectors such as tourism, agriculture, trade, and industry.

“We can support development through Build, Operate and Transfer agreements as well as public private partnerships,” he said.

Prof. Teye also advised that resource mobilisation efforts should be strengthened because the Government could not provide all the resources required to develop the country, saying, “We must contribute.”

He noted that several northern Ghana professionals in urban areas, contributed roughly GHS1000.00 annually to develop their home towns, which is incredibly useful to sectors like education and health.

Mr. Eric Tetteh, Yilo Krobo Municipal Chief Executive, said the summit’s topic was chosen with the notion that people of the land, regardless of their party affiliations, must work together to improve Yilo state.

The Krobo enclave is endowed with mountains, waterfall, limestone, arable land for agriculture, professionals, craft and associated tradesmen , as well as University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Meridian Hospital, and JVL-YKMA Recycling Plant.

The MCE described the area as a gateway to tourist destinations, but noted that its wealth had not been matched with the pace of social and economic progress.

Chiefs, Queen mothers, and elders, sons and daughters of Yilo land and numerous individuals, attended the maiden summit hosted in the multi-purpose hall of UESD in Somanya.

Cultural performances, including Klama dance and a documentary show on tourist attractions in Yilo Krobo, in addition to a talk shop on harnessing untapped tourism, cultural, and agricultural potentials in the area were side attractions to the historical event.

Beaded necklaces, beaded bangles, beaded key holders, beaded earrings, African wears, and mango products were also on show.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Hohoe (V/R), Jan. 6, GNA – A total of 350 desks have been handed over to 12 basic and second-cycle institutions in the Hohoe Municipality by the Assembly.

The cost of the desks presented to the eight basic schools and four second-cycle schools is GH¢120,000.

Mr Daniel Noble Awume, Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said the Assembly was resolved to manifesting government’s transformation agenda.

He said it was his desire to see health and education as top priorities as far as the Municipality was concerned.

Mr Awume said the Assembly was aware that there was need for more furniture in schools, adding that they would do their best to fill the gap.

He said there were plans to also reward productivity of heads and teachers at schools as a form of motivation while there were also plans to ensure that teachers gave their best to students.

Mr Awume said the Assembly would also plan packages for all schools, especially the second cycle and special schools to improve education in the Municipality.

Madam Janet Valerie Datsa Agbotse, Hohoe Municipal Director of Education, who received the desks, expressed gratitude to the MCE and Assembly for the support.

She noted that they had recognised the immense support from the MCE towards issues related to education and welfare of students in the Municipality.

Madam Agbotse noted that the availability of teaching and learning materials remained one of the factors that ensured quality education.

She said the desks came at the right time while hopeful that they would receive enough next time to enable other schools’ benefit.

Some beneficiary schools include the Hohoe E. P Senior High School, Gbi Akplamafu M/A Basic School, Wli Todzi R.C Basic School, Afadjato and Alavanyo SHTSs, Fodome Amele E/P Primary and Hohoe Experimental Junior High School.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, Jan. 03, GNA – The management of the University of Ghana says the 15 per cent adjustment of fees for the 2022/2023 academic year was based on rates approved by Parliament and communicated through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

The University assured students, parents, and all stakeholders that the fees charged for the 2022/2023 academic year were legal and duly based on approved fee levels as authorised by Parliament.

This was in a statement signed by Mrs Emelia Agyei-Mensah, the Registrar, University of Ghana, issued to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on the adjustments to academic facility user fees for the 2022/2023 academic year.

The statement said the University recognised the current difficult economic situation in the country and provided flexible fee payment terms for students.

“Students are allowed to register for the first semester upon payment of 50 per cent of their academic facility user fees, with the remaining amount due in the second semester.

“Additionally, students with genuine financial difficulties are encouraged to apply to access support through the University’s Students Financial Aid Office. Management operates an open-door policy and has engaged student leadership on these issues,” the statement said.

The statement said the University would continue to dialogue with student leaders, the general student body, parents and guardians, and all other stakeholders for a better understanding and appreciation of all matters on the welfare of stakeholders at the University.

It expressed concerns about the false information circulated about the adjustments of academic facility user fees by the University for the 2022/2023 academic year and thought it prudent to set the records straight for all stakeholders.

The statement said in the 2019/2020 academic year, public universities, including the University of Ghana, were given approval by Parliament to increase their fees by 5 per cent cumulatively based on the 2016/2017 approved fees.

“Though the gazetted approved fees for 2019/2020 academic year were found to be higher than what the University had earlier requested students to pay for the academic year, University management decided to suspend the implementation of the new fees until the 2020/2021 academic year to spare students from a fee increase in the middle of the 2019/2020 academic year,” it said.

The statement said the University announced on December 13, 2022, following all the necessary internal consultations and approval by the University council, that due to the increasing cost of operations, it had become necessary for the University to implement the 2019/2020 approved fees.

The statement also noted that the fee schedules published at the time were provisional, and that amounts to be paid would be updated once fees for the 2022/2023 academic year were approved by Parliament.

The University Students Association of Ghana, in a statement on December 20, 2022, rejected the 15 per cent increment in fees for public universities approved by Parliament.

The Association said the upward adjustment would make access to education increasingly difficult.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Agona Swedru (C/R), Jan 2, GNA – Nana Kweku Eseini V, the Regent of Agona Swedru, has advised the youth to eschew negative lifestyles that could destroy their future and become a burden on their families and society.

He said it was sad to see some young people who should have devoted their time on productive activities rather engaging in drugs, alcohol and other vices, which could ruin their lives.

Nana Esieni said this when he addressed the end-of-year meeting of the Swedruman Council of Chiefs at Agona Swedru in the Agona West Municipality of the Central Region.

He said the youth should dedicate their energies and time on education to become responsible adults rather than engaging in acts that could create problems for them through their youthful exuberances.

“The upcoming generations should take advantage of the Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to learn some skills to become self-employed instead of going about aimlessly,” he stated.

“TVET is key to human development and gives hope for the future, provides the youth with skills to become self-reliant, prevents one from becoming a burden on his or her family and society, and brings about quality life.”

Nana Esieni said the Swedruman Council had taken steps to secure funds from well-to-do Agonaman citizens, both home and abroad, to construct Information and Communication Technology centre at Swedru for the youth to be abreast of technology to enhance their education.

He called on parents, especially fathers, to take full responsibility of their children to reduce the street-children menace, while reminding them of the law on child neglect.

The Regent expressed gratitude to the citizens of Swedru for their cooperation leading to a successful funeral rite of the late Nana Kobena Botwe II, in November 2022.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ajumako (C/R), Dec 28, GNA – Residents of Ajumako Ochiso in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam (AEE) District of the Central Region, have initiated a project to assist the community to get an ultra-modern one-storey 10-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities for the Ochiso Methodist Basic School.

The project will replace the school’s old and dilapidated structures and provide a conducive environment for academic activities to improve access to quality education.

The community also seeks to build a befitting modern community centre for their social gatherings.

The Ochisoman Development Association (ODA), initiators of the projects, therefore, held a homecoming fundraising durbar as part of a campaign to pool resources for the projects.

With support from chiefs, old students, churches and indigenes home and abroad, the association raised a total of GHS125,000 out of a projected GHS200,000 as seed money to commence the projects.

Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, who graced the event, contributed GHS5,000 and pledged to provide 500 bags of cement for the construction of the facilities.

The proposed plans for the two projects were also unveiled at the event.

The school is the former Ochiso Amalgamated Middle School, a combination of Methodist and Catholic missionary schools as well as its basic school which are the oldest in the town and the second in the district, had served many communities over the decades.

The main structure of the school is, however, at the verge of collapse, forcing authorities to put it under lock and key.

Consequently, the school risks losing its status as a Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) centre.

Pupils and students, numbering over 540, are now having to compete for space in the remaining structures which are inadequate for their numbers.

When completed, the classroom block will have offices, an assembly hall, toilet facilities and a computer laboratory to maximise academic outcomes.

Mr Charles Kojo Amoah Snr, Interim Chairman of ODA, indicated that the two-year project would commence in the first quarter of 2023.

He said the initiative had come at the right time to meet the high demand for quality education globally.

“Human development is key and so with our initiative, we can groom young ones to become engineers, doctors, pilots and so on,” he stated.

“A lot of us came to this school and the teaching was good. Because of that, we ended up in secondary schools or training colleges and now some are professors and doctors,” he recalled.

He said they were also considering the construction of a Senior High School in addition to serve the various communities.

Nana Koso Dum IV, the Mankrado of the town, commended the residents for their positive action towards the growth of the community and urged them to keep the communal spirit burning until the community saw total development.

He said the school project was a worthy cause, citing the critical role education played in national development and encouraged the younger generation to stick to the values of the community and stay dedicated to their studies to become great persons in future.

Nana Dum also urged citizens to be law-abiding and stay away from activities that will see them on the wrong side of the law.

“Discipline is a basic requirement for development and so a society without discipline cannot see any development,” he stressed.

Mr Ato Forson described the idea as a laudable move which deserved every support.

“Do not let the enthusiasm wane because if you relax, no help can come from the government or other benefactors,” he encouraged them.

Mr Alex Ankomah, Assembly member for Ochiso North Electoral Area, said the quality of education was dipping in the area due to the poor infrastructure.

Commending the association for the initiative, he revealed that it was his desire to see the school advance to a higher level because education was key to human development.

“The teachers are doing their best but the students are unable to learn and so this new infrastructure will motivate the students to sit up,” he added.

Maxwell Mensah, Assembly Member for Ochiso South, for his part, pledged to support the project through the organisation of communal labour until it was completed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Cape Coast, Dec 26, GNA – More than 1,500 young girls in selected Junior High Schools (JHS) within the Central and Eastern Regions have benefited from the girls in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) training.

The four-year partnership project between the Ghana Education Service(GES) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) aims at promoting girls’ competency and participation in STEM courses to equally climb the academic ladder with boys.

The young girls drawn from 400 schools undertook a weeklong camping trip to equip themselves with practical and experimental courses in STEM to help them prepare to take up science related subjects moving forward.

The weeklong camping was on the theme:“Promotion of Girls Competency in Mathematics and Science with Gender-Responsive Pedagogy.”

The camp meeting formed part of activities held under the KOICA STEM project to groom and train the young girls to take charge and enjoy equal opportunities in the technological workspace as the World evolves.

In the Central Region, a total of 999 pupils selected from five districts namely Cape Coast, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem, Gomoa East, and Agona East participated.

Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, the Director in charge of National STEM Resources Center of GES, at the closing ceremony said the introduction of STEM in the country 21st century was timely because the world was evolving around technology hence the need to equip the younger generation to catch up with it.

There was therefore the need to target the young generation, especially young girls, who were mostly sidelined in taking up roles in STEM-related areas.

Mrs Opare said the project had an objective of increasing women participation in STEM courses through enhanced opportunities for girls in Maths and Science education.

Additionally, it seeks to promote a more effective pedagogy in Maths and Science that would strengthen the education system and provide a gilt-friendly school environment towards the socia-cultural factors creating a negative perception towards girls’ education, especially in STEM.

Though the outcome of the STEM project would manifest in the years to come, the Director was optimistic that the country was making headway in the quest to improve education through STEM.

She noted that the project was leaving no stone unturned therefore more teachers have been trained and empowered to provide the young girls with practical aspects of the Maths and Science to support in that regard.

The Director urged young girls to be humble, committed, focused, and determined in their efforts to climb the success ladder.

Maame Ekua Essoun Woode, a JHS two pupil at the Elmina Methodist School sharing her experience during the camping said it had insightful and educative experience on her side.

She noted that the facilitators and mentors have increased her confidence in taking up leadership roles and difficulty courses which she thought was male subjects.

Maame Woode appealed to the Government to provide more Science and Maths equipment and logistics to some deprived schools to leave no girl behind in the STEM agenda.

She called for the construction of modernized Science laboratory at their school to support them during practical and experimental part of their studies.

For his part, Mr Kwasi Abankwa Anokyi, the Project Officer and Information Communication Technology Coordinator of the KOICA STEM Project said the Ministry as part of the project distributed Science and Mathematics logistics and materials to all the beneficiary schools.

The move was also to improve access to STEM equipment in schools to fastrack the project for a positive result.

Also, the project has offered free sanitary pads to all pupils partaking in the project to ensure the young girls focus and commit to the whole agenda of improving STEM in the education sector and subsequently on the field.

Mr Anokyi spoke there will be Regional and National quizes for the beneficiaries to assess the learning outcome of the training and camping.

He expressed gratitude to KOICA and GES management for the support and commitment towards the project.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Service Persons (NSPs) working with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) are embarking on an exercise to educate food vendors on hygiene and best practices ahead of the festive season, Mr Rodrick Daddey-Agyei, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in Charge of Food has announced.

He said the NSPs are expected to visit eateries such as restaurants, chop bars and street food vendors to schedule them for inspection and certification.

“Some of the people selling along the roads do not know the right thing so, they will be educated to know what is expected of them, especially the use of potable water and a hygienic environment,” he added.

Speaking in an interview with the Deputy CEO of the FDA, Mr Daddey- Agyei urged the public to patronise restaurants that have certification and permits to operate, saying it was important for Ghanaians to help the FDA with necessary Information, to be able clump down on those without permits for them to do the right thing.

He said ” Food safety is everybody’s business, if you are assisting us and pointing out places that do not have hygiene permits it will help the FDA to take them on, ensure they do the right thing, and the benefit will be for the safety of everyone”.

“We consider the NSPs to be great assets because we have trained them and will be going round with authorised FDA personnel to sight and identify areas that do not have permits.

The FDA Deputy CEO urged the public to examine the integrity of products purchased on the market this festive season to ensure safety as expired products or bloated packages contain harmful substances and could affect people when consumed.

He said: “When you see a product that is bloated, please do not buy it, make sure you report to the nearest FDA office because a bloated product means there is a micro-biological contamination within the product which is producing gas and some of these products can kill people almost instantly”

“If you press and you hear what we call the tik tok sound, ‘ke ke ke’, be careful, there is an issue with it so please be on the lookout, look at the date markings, manufacturing and expiry dates, and batch number. Watch out for dented cans that have got burnt portions, be careful of cans that are rusted”

He added that, “we sometimes arrest people who had packaged low grade rice into nice bags to look authentic but remember, the FDA is your friend, if you find anyone guilty, please kindly inform the FDA and we will make sure we deal with the issues.

Mr Daddey-Agyei also warned the public not to be entertained by promotional products on the markets, as some of such products could have their expiry dates changed.

He also advised the public to check out for FDA hygiene permits at hotels, restaurants, kitchens, and fast-food joints. “The hygiene permits need to be displayed, if not, then those places may not be the right place to be, you eat there at your own risk.”

Source: Ghana News Agency