Day: June 10, 2024

To meet the ever-increasing demand of the school population at Kamgbunli in the Ellembelle District, tomato farmers in the area mostly women, have contributed to build a Primary school block valued at GHC300,000.00 for the community.

The gesture, formed part of Self-Help Community Projects to augment existing infrastructure needs in the school.

Secretary to the Steering Committee of the Tomato Farmers Association, at Kamgbunli, Mr Shaibu Issa disclosed this to Ghana News Agency during a visit to the school.

Tomato farming has become the mainstay of Kamgbunli, apart from cash crops such as cocoa and rubber, with about 700 women actively involved in the business.

Mr Shaibu Issa who is a former Presiding Member at the Ellembelle District Assembly and now the Registrar at the District Magistrate Court at Nkroful, told GNA- that since the community could not rely on the government alone, each farmer was levied to pay at least GHc100.00 though others paid more.

According to him, the classrooms were overstretched with more than 80 pupils in a class, which was not conducive for sound academic work.

The Registrar said though the Primary school block was not complete, the school had to move in since it was at roofing level.

He said the first batch of Junior High School form one students would be ready next academic year so the Steering Committee had decided to complete an abandoned block started by an NGO for the JHS forms one and two.

Mr Issa mentioned a water project, Islamic mission house, support of Uthman Bin Affan Islamic Senior school with funds to run the school as some of the social interventions initiated by the tomato farmers association in the community.

He said the next target would be the construction of a JHS ‘C’ block to ease congestion in the classrooms.

He commended the women for their efforts on the tomato farms, adding that at the end of the tomato season, a farmer could garner GHc50,000.00 from the sales.

Mr Issa said men in the community were also willing to venture into the tomato business but noted that the market was not readily available.

The Assembly Member at Kamgbunli Electoral area, Mr Dauda Musah said with a population of about 5,000, there was the urgent need to expand existing infrastructure in the town.

He hinted that the tomato farmers would pay another levy to complete the JHS one and two classroom blocks.

Source: Ghana News Agency

 Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), has encouraged parents to embrace the value of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Education.

He observed that STEAM education would promote curiosity, support creative endeavors, and instill a positive attitude towards children learning at home, ultimately shaping their attitudes towards education and future careers.

Prof. Asare-Bediako made the statement in a speech delivered on his behalf at the 47th speech and prize giving day celebration of the Sacred Heart Senior School at Nsoatre in the Sunyani West Municipality.

The theme of the celebration was ‘Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics Education and Attitudinal Change: The Wheels to Sustainable Development in the 21st century.’

Prof. Asare-Bediako highlighted the crucial role that educators and parents played in promoting STEAM education and fostering attitudinal change, while emphasizing the need for teachers to be equipped with the necessary skills and resources through professional development opportunities and collaborative teaching models to deliver interdisciplinary and engaging lessons.

He said a transformative shift in attitudes towards education and sustainability could lead to a generation that was innovative, inclusive and dedicated to building a better future.

Prof. Asare-Bediako underscored that achieving sustainable development was a collective effort from all sectors of society and pointed out that STEAM education stimulated students to explore the connections between science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, by enhancing cognitive abilities while nurturing creativity and innovation.

He said by integrating these disciplines, students could develop a holistic understanding of the world around them and cultivate skills that were essential for success in the 21st century.

Prof. Asare-Bediako stressed the importance of integrating a profound attitudinal shift alongside STEAM education, saying the shift involved fostering a mindset that valued lifelong learning, embraced diversity, and prioritized sustainability.

He stated that prioritizing STEAM education and cultivating a mindset that valued learning, creativity, and sustainability could drive meaningful change and secure a prosperous and sustainable future for all.

Chairing the ceremony, Ms. Rosemary Mroba Gaisie, an alumna and Deputy Director of Communications at the Judicial Services of Ghana, emphasized the importance of collaboration among the different year groups and partners to enhance the school’s global competitiveness.

Ms. Gaisie urged the year groups to come together and pool their resources to support various projects aimed at advancing the school’s development that would leave a lasting impact on future generations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, has applauded Prempeh College for the emerging winners of the Robofest World Championships, Unknown Mission Challenge (UMC) 2024, held in the United States of America.

He said, ‘You have done very well, and you have made Africa proud. We have the best talents in the world. We are disciplined. We are focused, and this win has affirmed my trust in the Ghanaian child.’

The Minister made the commendation when the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr Eric Nkansah, led a delegation from Prempeh College to pay a courtesy call on him in Accra.

The visit was to introduce the Minister to the students from Prempeh College who recently won the Robofest World Championships.

The Minister donated GHC10,000 to support the training and preparation of the school’s team for the next edition of the competition.

The Education Minister applauded the winners and said the accomplishment was a demonstration that something great was happening in Ghana’s education system.

‘Indeed, your accomplishment is a demonstration that something great is happening in our education system.’ he said. 

The Education Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, urged the global award winners to keep up the good work by reading more books and spending more time on their studies.

He assured them of the government’s readiness to continue investing in education and charged the students to take advantage of the huge investment being made in the education sector to shape their future dreams.

The Very Rev. Lewis Asare, the Headmaster of Prempeh College, attributed the gains made in the school to the collective efforts of students, teaching staff, and non-teaching staff, as well as the outstanding performance and commitment of the coaches of the school’s Robotics Team, led by Mr Kwame Owusu Opoku.

He pledged to continue working very hard to ensure that the students received the best training that would not only help them pass their final exams but impact positively on their skills to make more relevant to society after their education.

The delegation to the Education Ministry also had other members, such as the Board Chairman of Prempeh College, the Headmaster and teachers.

Prempeh College participated in and excelled at the Robofest World Championships, held in Michigan, USA, in May 2024.

The team participated in both the Unknown Mission Challenge and the Game Category.

For their outstanding performance, the organisers of the event, Lawrence Technological University, have awarded a merit-based scholarship in recognition of their exceptional performance: USD 80,000 for each member of the UMC Team and USD 64.000 for each member of the Game Team.

The team received medals, trophies, and other souvenirs as part of their rewards.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Most Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the Catholic Bishop of Sunyani Diocese, has called for consistency in the country’s educational programmes to drive development.

He highlighted the crucial role of educational regularity in national development, saying reforms in education often failed to achieve lasting impact due to changes in government leadership as lack of continuity hinders progress and undermines the effectiveness of educational initiatives.

Most Rev Gyamfi, also the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference, made the call at the 47th Speech and Prize Giving Day celebration of the Sacred Heart Senior School (SEHASS) at Nsoatre in the Sunyani West Municipality.

The celebration was under the theme: ‘Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Education and Attitudinal Change: The Wheels to Sustainable Development in the 21st Century.’

Most. Rev. Gyamfi while acknowledging the importance of STEAM education raised concerns about the sustainability of such programmes in the long term.

He stressed the need for a national commitment to maintain and support educational initiatives to ensure lasting impact and meaningful progress.

The nation’s development could not be achieved through constant changes in educational policies and programmes without a coherent and sustainable approach, he said.

He called for a collective effort to prioritize consistency and continuity in education to drive meaningful and lasting development in the country.

Most Rev. Gyamfi explained it was always good to revise programmes, but radically changing brings about stagnation, which leads to continuously moving back and forth with programmes which were not beneficial to the nation.

He reiterated the significance of properly planning STEAM education to ensure a clear direction for the country and avoid potential discrepancies in its outcomes.

Most Rev. Gyamfi stressed the need for the country to clearly define its programme direction, starting from early childhood education through Basic School, Senior High School, and tertiary institutions, and ultimately guiding graduates to address the country’s needs effectively.

He underscored the necessity for the country to establish specific targets by defining programme and policy directions through a strategic approach to outline the country’s intended path, goals and methods for the education system to follow, ultimately leading towards achieving targeted objectives.

Rev. Sr. Benedicta Uzokwe, the Headmistress of the School, announced that the current student population was 1,390, consisting of 485 males and 905 females.

Out of the number, 1,175 were boarders, supported by 90 teaching and 47 non-teaching staff.

He endorsed STEAM education as the foundation of innovation and progress in the modern world, saying any nation failing to invest in that area was destined for failure.

Rev. Sr. Uzokwe said: ‘STEAM education does not only impart knowledge but also nurtures critical thinking skills essential for addressing the complex challenges of the 21st century.’

Rev. Sr. Uzokwe underscored the significance of effective Information Technology tools for achieving desired outcomes in the current educational landscape where students were expected to engage in research, projects, and problem-solving within their communities.

She also emphasized the need for attitudinal change, asserting that embracing a positive and growth-oriented mindset was essential for maximizing the benefits of STEAM education and fostering overall growth and development.

Sister Uzokwe said the school was challenged with inadequate accommodation for staff and students, a lack of water storage facilities and disturbance from youth from the town day students.

Other challenges were the abuse of mobile phones on campus, limited boarding facilities, absence of transportation for the headmistress and shortage of security staff and labourers.

Several deserving teachers, non-teaching staff members, students and groups were recognised and rewarded for their exceptional dedication and service during the event.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Dabokpa Technical Institute has marked its 25th anniversary celebration in Tamale with a call on the government and other stakeholders to invest more resources into Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The anniversary, held under the theme: ‘Breaking Barriers, Leading Change: Celebrating 25 Years of Technical Advancement’, afforded Management, students and stakeholders the opportunity to reflect on the journey thus far and the need to strategise on providing quality TVET services in the country.

Madam Mariama Mahama, Principal of Dobokpa Technical Institute, in an address at the school’s compound in Tamale, said the Institute since it became a fully-fledged technical institution in 1998, had built a reputation for excellence in vocational and technical education in the country.

She said it had chalked a lot of successes, including the manufacturing of a tricycle, and electric bicycle, the construction of a 20-unit biodigester toilet facility, the establishment of a driving school in Tamale with a servicing centre serving multiple agencies and the public, as well as the acquisition of 30 industrial sewing machines for fashion design training.

She said the school had also acquired a 50-acre land to facilitate its expansion, constructed an automobile engineering workshop, a fashion workshop and factory, a three-storey block for catering and hospitality management as well as an additional three-storey block for software development laboratories.

The Headmistress said despite the significant achievements of the school, it was still confronted with several challenges that affected effective teaching and learning, including erratic water supply, inadequate workshops, lack of an assembly hall, and inadequate accommodation for students, among other challenges.

She appealed to government, corporate institutions, individuals and NGOs to come to the aid of the school to ensure that effective academic activities were not interrupted.

Professor Gavua Smile Afua Dzisi, former Vice-Chancellor of the Koforidua Technical University, commended Dabokpa Technical Institute for its unwavering commitment and resilience towards enhancing TVET in northern Ghana.

Speaking on the theme for the celebration, she said to break barriers in TVET, it was important to incorporate emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, blockchain, biotechnology and other interdisciplinary approaches to maximise the prospects in the sector.

She said: ‘Our curriculum needs to be as dynamic as the technologies it aims to cover. Traditional static syllabi must give way to modular and flexible learning pathways.’

She underscored the need for the various TVET institutions in the country to prioritise collaborating with the local industry to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industry requirements.

Professor Dzisi emphasized that technical proficiency alone was not enough to break barriers, and advised the students to adopt creativity, critical thinking, communication and the spirit of teamwork to make a positive impact on the development of the country.

Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, whose speech was read on his behalf by Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, said the need to promote TVET as a parallel pathway to success alongside tertiary education could not be overemphasised.

The Vice President donated GHc50,000.00 to support the school in its quest to raise GHc400,000.00 to expand its infrastructure.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Benjamin Oduro Arhin, the National Expert for the UNESCO-ASCHBERG Programme for players in the Creative Arts Industry, has described as ‘unfortunate’ the measuring of fluency in English Language to one’s intelligence in Ghana.

He indicated that though English Language was often considered a valuable skill, it was important to note that it did not equate to intelligence as it pertained.

Whilst being able to communicate effectively in English could open opportunities and facilitate interactions, he said one’s level of intelligence should not be judged solely based on English expression abilities.

To him, intelligence was a complex trait that encompasses various factors such as problem-solving skills, critical thinking, creativity and emotional intelligence.

Dr Arhin was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of a two-day training programme for professionals in the Creative Arts Industry in Cape Coast, the Central Regional Capital.

He said the importance of promoting and preserving local languages in Ghana must be highlighted, ensuring that the country’s rich cultural heritage was preserved for future generations.

Promoting the English Language against local languages to him, was linguistics imperialism which could lead to the marginalisation of indigenous languages and cultures.

‘The lack of support for local languages can lead to their decline or even extinction, resulting in the loss of cultural knowledge and heritage,’ he cautioned, adding that it could result in the loss of valuable knowledge and traditions and potentially hinder the country’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

‘Therefore, it is essential to recognise that fluency in English is just one aspect of a person’s overall intelligence and should not be used as the sole measure of their cognitive abilities as portrayed in the Ghanaian setting,’ he explained.

In the same vein, he urged Ghanaians and the media to reflect on the values and uniqueness of local languages and their exclusive use in the media space to highlight the importance of Ghanaian languages.

Dr Arhin said the indigenous languages could not be appreciated if they were continuously downplayed, hence the need for the media to ensure the appropriate use of local languages.

‘People take comfort and learn a lot from the media, so I will call on the media to promote our local languages

‘We should consider the things we show, the things we say and ensure they are appropriate, proper, good and have some traditional knowledge and are fit and acceptable in our society,’ he said.

Dr Arhin urged Ghanaians to speak their mother language, practise their culture and inculcate them into their children to help shape their behaviour and character.

‘Learning the mother language helps one’s cognitive skills and communication skills.

‘It broadens your knowledge, your mind, makes you look wider, learn substance and tend to appreciate your culture and appreciate things around you and your environment,’ he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Education Service in the Eastern Region has launched the 2024 Teacher Prize award at Odumase Krobo aimed at encouraging teachers to work harder.

In an interview with Ghana News Agency, Mr Samuel Kwesi Tettey, Municipal Director of the Ghana Education Service in Lower Manya Krobo, highlighted the importance of recognizing and appreciating the achievements of teachers.

He noted that it had been 14 years since the last such programme was organised in the municipality and urged the need to support the initiative.

‘The last time a program of this nature was held in the area was in 2010,’ he said.

He emphasised that the programme was to encourage hardworking and committed teaching and non-teaching staff from the Kindergarten (KG) to the Senior High School level.

‘Teachers should be acknowledged and respected for their work, their commitment, and their dedication with kind words (oral or written) from their students, their student’s parents or guardians, their administrators, and the general public,’ he said.

He said that the education of the child who would grow to become useful to himself or herself first, his family, and the entire nation was worth doing and that teachers who go the extra mile to make this happen should be motivated.

‘A motivated staff is the backbone of any organisation,’ he noted.

Mr Tettey credited his achievements to the motivation he received from winning awards in the past.

Notably, he was awarded the Best Technical/Vocational Teacher in the New Juaben Municipality in Koforidua in 2002, and subsequently recognized as the Eastern Regional Best Teacher in the Technical/Vocational category in 2009.

‘For me to have come this far, those awards played a major role; therefore, let us do something to make sure we appreciate our teachers and lift their spirits to work harder towards a common goal,’ he said.

Professor Eric Nyarko-Sampson, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, stated that appreciating teachers was very important and should not be undermined.

He said teachers must nurture the upcoming young generation, inspire them, and teach them how to respect.

‘The core of teaching consists of four basic values: dignity, respect for humanity, truthfulness, and fairness,’ he said.

He stated that it was important for the community and society to also recognise the effort of the teachers in turning their societies and communities around.

He urged teachers to give their all to support the students to achieve their best.

Source: Ghana News Agency

AECI Mining Explosives has refurbished a six-unit classroom block, office and toilet facility for Dumasi Municipal Assembly (M/A) Basic School in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality.

The structure earlier had its roof leaking with cracks that created lots of discomfort for teaching and learning.

Handing over the facility to the school, Mr. Johan Duvenhage, Managing Director of Anglophone West Africa, in a speech read on his behalf said in 2023 and early part of this year, the company received a number of educational related proposals from the community, and the current project was included.

He said after the initial assessment of all the proposals they received, the company’s project assessment team selected the Dumasi M/A Basic School project as one that required urgent attention.

‘Noting the high project cost associated with the refurbishment, the company invited its business partners for financial assistance to be able to complete the project immediately once it started. We are grateful to Henyana Company Limited and Stellar Logistic for their unweaving financial support to start and finish the project,’ said Mr. Duvenhage.

According to the managing director, ‘It is the desire of the company to always provide the needed socio-economic support to communities in its operational area, but they are often constraint financially because of the high operational cost of doing business in Ghana and other external factors in the mining industry

We must therefore be pardoned when the company is unable to accept certain requests or delays in performing the same. That said, we will continue to support projects and other requests we receive subject to available funds.’

He explained that as part of the renovated block, a library would be built and that discussions were far advanced in commencing the project, and this demonstrated AECI’s commitment and affection to education in the Dumasi community.

Dr. Isaac Dasmani, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Prestea Huni-Valley Assembly, thanked AECI Mining Explosives for consistently assisting in developing the municipality, and responding swiftly to Dumasi M/A Basic School call when the management brought their situation before them.

Mr. Sabastian Atrama Diaw, Municipal Director of Education, thanked the AECL for its commitment to education.

He said: ‘We now have a safe, secured and comfortable place for teaching and learning activities to go on smoothly.’

He encouraged the students who would be using the classroom block to be punctual at school, and study hard, adding, ‘always remember that education is the key to unlocking your full potential and shaping the future you want to experience. So, I urge you to be fully committed to your books.’

Miss Catherine Andoh, Head teacher of Dumasi M/A Basic School, noted that refurbishment of the school was a huge relief to them as the facility would now encourage the children to be in school always.

For his part, Nana Kofi Bii, Regent of Dumasi Royal Oyoko Family Stool, pledged that the community would collaborate with management of the school to ensure the facility was properly maintained to extend its lifespan for future generations to benefit.

Source: Ghana News Agency