Category: Education

KOSMOS energy has constructed a 60-bed dormitory block for the blind unit of the Ashanti School for the Deaf at Jamasi in the Sekyere South District. The facility which has washrooms for both male and female pupils, and a rest room for the house mistress, was undertaken following a request made by the management and staff of the school. KOSMOS energy had early this year, renovated and handed over the dormitories of the deaf unit of the school, as part of efforts to provide convenient accommodation for the pupils. Mr Joe Mensah, Senior Vice President and Head of Ghana Business Unit of KOSMOS Energy Ghana, speaking at the handing over ceremony at Jamasi said disability was not an inability. He said everybody had been blessed with innate potential which needed to be nurtured and harnessed no matter the physical deformity. Mr Mensah said KOSMOS energy would continue to partner the Ashanti School for the Deaf to help educate and train the pupils to develop their potentials to enable them to contribute to the development of the nation. He praised the staff and management of the school for their hard work and dedication in helping to unearth the potential of the pupils in the face of many challenges. Mr Mensah called on the management of the school to endeavour to maintain the facility to help attract more support not only from KOSMOS but other individuals and companies. Mrs Catherine Reckling, District Chief Executive for Sekyere South, commended KOSMOS energy for its continued support to the school and said the construction of the dormitory block was amble testimony of the company's resolve to help under-privileged people in society. Nana Bediako-Poku I, Amenasehene, said the kind gesture by the company would help motivate the staff and the pupils to give off their best in their education. Mr George Adu Abrokwa, District Director of Education said the dormitory block had come at an opportune time to serve as a home for the pupils of the blind unit who had to share spaces with their deaf colleagues. He said the project was a source of hope and beacon of life that illuminated the path of a brighter future for the children. Mrs Vida Aidoo, Headmistress of the school, thanked KOSMOS energy for the kind gesture and said the project had removed one of the major challenges which was facing the school. She said the blind unit was started in 2019 to provide education for visually impaired children in the northern sector of the country. Mrs Aidoo said one other challenge facing the school was water and called on individuals and corporate bodies to help provide mechanized boreholes for the school. Source: Ghana News Agency

The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, has announced the appointment of Dr Agyemang Danquah and Dr Daniel K. Dzidzienyo as Deputy Directors of the Centre. A statement issued by WACCI, copied to the Ghana News Agency said effective from October 2, 2023, Dr Agyemang Danquah would serve as the Deputy Director of Research, Innovation and Development, while Dr Dzidzienyo would assume the role of Deputy Director of Administration, Teaching and Learning. It said both appointments were key to the Centre, a part of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences at the University of Ghana and were expected to contribute significantly to the Centre's ongoing excellence and sustainability. It said WACCI extends its heartfelt congratulations to Dr Agyemang Danquah and Dr Dzidzienyo and wishes them success in their new roles. ! !4 Source: Ghana News Agency

The Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF) says the daily feeding cost of GHS10.00 per student is woefully inadequate and must be increased to at least GHS30.00 per student, per day'. Apart from the insufficient amount, Professor Samuel Awinkene Atintono, the President of the PRINCOF, said, 'It usually takes a longtime before payment is made,' and that often-posed challenges to smooth administration of the Colleges. The PRINCOF President, who is the Principal of the Accra College of Education, spoke for teacher trainees when he addressed the Annual National Conference of the PRINCOF in Bolgatanga on the theme: 'Repositioning Colleges of Education as Centres of excellence for teacher education in Ghana.' The well-attended Conference, chaired by the Tongraan, Naab Kugbilsong Nanlebegtang, Paramount Chief of the Talensi Traditional Area, attracted Principals of the 46-member Colleges of Education across the country, stakeholders, and experts in education. The Conference offered the platform for the s takeholders to dialogue on key educational policies and best practices for teacher education in the Colleges of Education in Ghana. Though Professor Atintono thanked the government for the teacher trainee allowances, he said the allowances were not paid on time, and further appealed to government on behalf of the students for regular payment. On the issue of teacher trainee pass mark for licensure examination, the PRINCOF President said 'The intention to raise the pass mark from 50 per cent to 70 per cent is very worrying for the teacher trainees, and this must be reconsidered. 'The teacher trainees are actually not in support of the raising of the mark. I think we need further discussion around that,' Professor Atintono added. He emphasized that 'The licensure exams introduced as part of teacher professionalism, is a very good move as it seeks to position teachers as professionals and make them meet global teacher standards.' The Professor noted that there were, however, issues with the examination whic h needed to be addressed, and called for assessment into the reason for mass failures among the newly trained teachers. Madam Gifty Twum-Ampofo, the Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), said the Colleges of Education played pivotal roles in shaping the future of education and the nation. 'Our Colleges of Education stand as a bedrock of our educational systems, nurturing and modelling the minds of our future leaders,' she said, and commended the 'tireless efforts' of the PRINCOF in its quest to equip teachers with skills and knowledge. The Deputy Minister, who is the Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa North Constituency, said the Ministry aspired to transform the Colleges into positions of innovation, creativity, and centres of academic excellence. 'To achieve this vision, we must embrace the transformative approach that integrates modern pedagogical practices, technological advancement and commitment to continuous improvement,' she said. Madam Twum-Ampofo noted that the evolution of teacher education demanded that they equipped educators with the tools to navigate the ever-changing educational system, and said it was incumbent upon stakeholders to cultivate environmental conditions to encourage research, critical thinking, and collaboration. 'Let us harness the potential of our colleges to become part of ground-breaking research and scholarships. Let us prioritize the holistic development of our teachers, emphasizing not only academic prowess, but also the motivation of character, empathy, resilience and many more,' she said. The Deputy Minister said a well-rounded educator did not only impart knowledge, but also inspired and guided students to become responsible citizens. She thanked the PRINCOF for its continuous contribution to education in Ghana and expressed confidence that with the support and leadership of PRINCOF, the Colleges of Education would become the driving force behind transformative change in the country's educational landscape. Source: Ghana News Agency

Parliament has called on the Minister of Education, Mr Yaw Osei Adutwum, to reconsider the December 4, 2023, reopening date for first year Senior High School (SHS) students as directed by the Ghana Education Service (GES). A statement issued by the Director, Media Relations Department of the Parliamentary Service, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said this had become necessary after the attention of the House was drawn to the directive by the GES for first year students to go to school on Monday, December 4. It said due to the short notice with its attendant inconvenience to students, parents, teaching and non-teaching staff, the House proposed the first week of January, 2024, as a more convenient and appropriate time for reopening for academic work to begin. 'In view of the urgency of this matter and various concerns raised by Members of Parliament and other stakeholders, Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has directed the Minister of Education to appear before the House and brief Members on Monday, 4 th December, at 1430 hours,' the statement said. It recalled that, on 9th November, the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) released the provisional results for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School and Private Candidates, 2023. Subsequently, on 28th November, the GES informed the Heads of Institutions to begin registration and orientation of students from 4th December. 'The House is therefore calling on students, parents, teachers, and non-teaching staff not to panic but to remain calm and wait for further directive on the matter whiles it engages with the Minister for an amicable resolution.' Source: Ghana News Agency

The management and children of Teshie Orphanage were filled with happiness and excitement when Afriwave Telecom Ghana Limited upgraded their library to a modern standard and provided it with state-of-the-art learning equipment. Afriwave, an indigenous company that operates and manages Ghana's interconnect clearing house (ICH), refurbished the library and resourced it with a thousand space bookshelves and six desktop computers with one year of internet subscription. Mr. Lord Aboagye, Corporate Affairs Officer of Afriwave Telecom Ghana, said in a statement copied?to the Ghana News Agency on Friday that upgrading the Orphanage Library into a cutting-edge facility would greatly help the children.? The initiative exemplifies Afriwave Telecom's commitment to supporting and?improving educational resources?for those who are underprivileged. Mr. Francis Poku, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Afriwave Telecom, was quoted in the statement as adding that the library refurbishment was part of the company's mission t o make a sustainable impact on the lives of disadvantaged children. 'When we, Afriwave, provide support of any kind, our focus is to look at how sustainable and impactful the support is,' he said, adding, 'There is no better way of ensuring the sustainability of an initiative than to invest in the education of our future leaders.' He indicated that Afriwave Telecom would soon launch its SMS platform, which would create a single point for all value-added service (VAS) providers to gain access to mobile network operators from one place. Shedding light on the SMS platform, Mr. Poku noted that Afriwave's SMS platform would help expand the communications needs of customers that route through the ICH. He further said that the SMS platform would not only expand the communications needs of customers but would also allow them to experience seamless messaging and transparency in billing. This would enable customers to stay in control of costs and make informed decisions. He urged VAS providers, banks, corporate o rganisations, and players in the telecom industry to take advantage of the platform for their messaging needs. Currently, the ICH is fully connected to all the telecommunication providers in Ghana and is already carrying all interconnect voice traffic in the country. Mr. Poku urged the orphanage to continue to nurture these young children to restore the confidence they need as children to grow into better adults. Mr. and Mrs. Parker, founders of the home, thanked Afriwave for their generosity at such a crucial time of the year. Mrs. Parker further expressed her gratitude to the entire management and staff of Afriwave for nominating the home to be recognised in such a manner. Teshie Orphanage is a private and nongovernmental organisation that provides shelter and a homely atmosphere for orphans and vulnerable children within the Teshie community. It is managed with the assistance of benevolent individuals and organisations to educate and care for these children and equip them to face the challenges of th e world. Source: Ghana News Agency