Category: Literacy

Pupils and parents of the Gundork Primary School in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region have called on the government, non-government organisations and philanthropists to support the school to prevent the building from collapse. The school's structure has developed large cracks on its walls and gables, with all its supporting front pillars, especially from classes one to three, destroyed, exposing the iron rods. The windows and doors of the school have also been destroyed while the floor has deep potholes, exposing school children to danger. The school has 385 pupils, comprising 187 boys and 198 girls. Master Michael Yen, a Class Three pupil of the school, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that he was always sitting in class with fear due to the deplorable nature of the building. 'All the pillars are always shaking whenever there is a strong wind, and we feel uncomfortable sitting in the classroom because we are afraid it may collapse on us, and this is destructing our studies, so we want the gov ernment to help renovate the school for us before something bad happens,' he stated. Mr Iddrisu Kabiru, the Assistant Headteacher of the school, noted that apart from the deplorable state of the building being a threat to the lives of both staff and pupils, the number of pupils also outweighed the capacity of the school, which was again mounting pressure on the building. He said instead of a normal class size of about 30 pupils, class two had 60 pupils, class three had 95 pupils, class four had 75 pupils, class five had 59 pupils, class six had 61 pupils, and class one had the least with 35 pupils. Mr Kabiru added that the only thing that was motivating the pupils was that the school was benefiting from the school feeding programme but added that the children had not been fed lately. Mr Joseph Kologbon, a parent and resident of the community, said the fast deterioration of the structure could be attributed to shoddy work by the contractor. 'In all indications, it is very clear that the contractor did sho ddy work and must be held responsible if anything happens to anybody in that school because this school was built just in 2007 when our mud houses were already there, but look at it, it is even weaker than our mud houses,' he stated. Mr Isaac Wulug, the Assemblyman of the Zanlerigu-Dagliga Electoral Area, emphasized that there was a need for the Government to expedite action on the renovation of the school to avoid casualties and ensure the continuity of academic activities. He added: 'If we are by the assertion that these children are our future leaders then we must show them quality leadership by inculcating in them the mindset of improvement and this includes getting them a conducive environment to study.' Aside from the trauma of sitting in such classrooms, some of the pupils also have no chairs to sit on and are compelled to sit on the bare floor with their books on their laps to write or lie on their bellies to write whenever they are given class exercise. Madam Agnes Anamoo, the District Chief Exec utive, said the school was really in a bad state, and while the assembly was considering the option of including it in the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project, other organisations could come in to help, given the urgent attention it deserved. Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Clement Abasinaab Apaak, the Member of Parliament (MP) of Builsa South, Upper East Region, has presented assorted working tools worth GHS105,730.00 to 113 youth in his constituency to undergo skills training. The start-up kits were sets of mechanic and electrical tools, hairdressing equipment, 24 pieces of sewing machines and threads, pairs of scissors, towels, hair rollers, building levers, plastic chairs, and carpentry tools among others. The beneficiaries would be trained in electrical works, wielding, carpentry, refrigerator repairs, masonry, hairdressing, tailoring, vehicle repairs and vulcanising. Dr Apaak, at a ceremony at Fumbisi to present the items, said he also paid the apprenticeship fee of GHS64,330.00 for the beneficiaries, who had been assigned to various trainers in the respective fields. 'We know that apprenticeship goes with a fee for good reason. The masters must also buy their equipment. They must spend their time training the apprentices, and by custom, they are expected to pay an apprenticeship fee,' he said. 'Knowing the plight of my people, I knew that if I bought only the equipment for the potential apprentices, they would find it difficult to raise the needed money to pay for the apprenticeship. So, I decided to take that bill as well.' Over the years, the MP had supported several youth in the constituency through formal education. 'Last year alone, I supported 236 students in the tertiary sector. I spent GHS230, 000.00 to support them because they are the future,' he said. Dr Apaak, the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament's Education Committee, said: 'In the selection of the beneficiaries, political affiliation was not considered. Just like the scholarship for the students in the tertiary sector, we don't consider one's political affiliation.' 'What is important is that you are a native of Builsa South, you are in need of help, you have potential and I believe that if I give you the support, you will become somebody with higher educational degree or a trade.' 'I am doing it because that is what the people want.' He assured the constituents of his continued support, especially the youth, in line with the vision of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to develop their capacities to gain with employable skills under the leadership of its Flag bearer, Mr John Dramani Mahama. 'So, what I am doing here today is part of our history as NDC. That is why we are called social democrats. We believe in equity, justice and fairness.' Some of the beneficiaries, after receiving their tools, commended the MP for the support and said they would work to justify the investment made in them. Ms Juliana Aweisinaab, a hairdresser apprentice, who shared her plight with the GNA, said she travelled to Accra after Junior High School to work as a porter, popularly known as 'Kayayo' to enable her raise GHS2,000.00 to buy items and pay for her training as a hairdresser. After struggling for two years, she could not raise the money and had to return home. 'I'm grateful to the MP for the assistance. B ut for the support I wouldn't be able to open a shop in Fumbisi after my training.' Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Mary Magdalene Wompakeah, the Nabdam District Director of Education, Upper East Region, has called for the renovation of the Pelungu Kindergarten school block as the building is on the verge of collapse. She said the building, in its current state, was not conducive for academic work, describing it as a 'death trap that poses a threat to the lives of pupils and staff'. She urged the government and other concerned stakeholders to initiate steps to put the school in good shape to facilitate teaching and learning.  Madam Wompakeah made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Pelungu, where the Agency observed visible cracks from the ground floor to the block's gables during a visit to the school. The cracks were almost on every wall of the building with all the doors and windows destroyed. Bright Tambon, a KG 2 pupil, told the GNA that he and his colleagues had been restricted by the teachers from playing in the classroom during their leisure period for fear of it collapsing on them. Madam Agnes Anamoo, the District Chief Executive, said she had instructed that the pupils be transferred to other available classrooms of the school for safety while the Assembly considered its renovation or demolishing it for a new building. 'To be on the safer side, now the children have been moved out of the classrooms, and the Assembly is now considering adding it to the SOCO project to be renovated,' she told the GNA. 'Or it would be pushed down completely if renovation is not possible for a new structure because, the way it is, we don't know what would happen in the rainy season.' She said while the Government was committed to creating a conducive environment for pupils to learn, it could not possibly do everything, and urged non-governmental organisations with an interest in education to support. Source: Ghana News Agency

The West African Examinations Council ( WAEC) has urged the government to release funds to facilitate the operations of the body. During a press conference in Accra, Mr. John Kapi, Head of Public Affairs, WAEC National Office, said the government owed the council two years' registration fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. Mr Kapi stated that the government owed the Council GHC 9.9 million in 2022 and GHC 40 million in 2023. According to him, the government was yet to pay for exam and practical fees totaling GHC7.4 million, which would enable the council to fully compensate its stakeholders. He was optimistic that the government would release funds within the year to enable the Council to conduct the 2024 examinations. Mr Kapi said the council had revised its rules and regulations for dealing with cases of irregularity in examinations since 2023. He said it was an offence for candidates to have inscriptions on any part of the body or clothing. Mr Kapi stated that multiple re gistrations of candidates in both public and private schools constituted an offence. He warned that anyone found posting live questions on the internet would suffer consequences. Mr Kapi said the council had not relented in its efforts to educate schools and candidates on the council's rules and regulations. He appealed to heads of schools to register only eligible candidates for all its examinations adding 'this is key factor in the successful conduct of the examinations and timely release of results.' Source: Ghana News Agency

The Education Directorate of the Oshikoto Region continues to operate from offices in Ondangwa in the Oshana Region, despite concerns over the associated costs. In an interview with Nampa on Tuesday, Oshikoto Education Director Aletta Eises said her office has received numerous complaints and requests for the office to be moved from Ondangwa to the Oshikoto Region. However, she explained that in 2016, N.dollars 132 million was allocated to construct an office. However, considering the poor school infrastructure in the region, they opted to prioritise improving school premises for learners instead. 'We are more focused on our learners than having an office in the region,' she said. Eises said even though their office is based in Ondangwa, they remain focused on learners' education in the Oshikoto Region. She added that this arrangement has not affected their performance or that of learners in their region. Contacted for comment, the Executive Director of the Ministry of Education, Sanet Steenkamp, indicat ed that the regional directorate has always been accessible but acknowledged that the ideal situation would be for the Oshikoto regional offices to operate from Omuthiya. However, she noted that such a move is currently not feasible. Steenkamp provided historical context, noting the past division of regions into Ondangwa West and Ondangwa East, with Ondangwa East covering the Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions. 'With time, Ohangwena Region moved to Eenhana where we were renting office space. Thereafter with the prioritisation of the budget, we started with the construction of the offices which are soon to be completed and then we will move to the Oshikoto Region, where a directorate office will be built in Omuthiya,' she said. She added that feasibility studies were conducted in 2016 and plans for construction are in place, but due to a moratorium on office block construction, priority was given to Ohangwena to finalise the construction of the directorate office, before construction of an office for the Oshiko to directorate starts. Steenkamp also noted that in Omuthiya they have a museum, library resource centre and the inspector's office, which is the nearest point of entry under the regional council for education in Omuthiya. Source: The Namibia Press Agency