Category: Education

Qatar Charity, a non-governmental organization, education stakeholders, Chiefs, the envoy of Qatar, and members of Qatar Charity, have inaugurated a new Hayaat Senior High School in the Oyibi Saasabi Akuapem Obosomasi area.

The school , ‘Hayaat Senior High School,’ boasts of 10 classrooms, a library, three offices, 24 washrooms, 5 (one-bedroom units), 2 (two-bedroom units), and a borehole with 5000 litres overhead tanks.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Sunday in Accra said the school compound included a newly built mosque accommodating approximately 240 worshippers.

It said the event was presided over by Shaik Yushau Tahir Kuta, who, expressed joy at the completion and inauguration of the project and extended gratitude to all , including the Chiefs of Oyibi and residents of the Sasaabi area, during the commissioning ceremony.

Speaking on behalf of the Municipal Director of Education Mr. Francis Mishiami, urged all stakeholders to continue their support for the school emphasizing its signifi
cance in their development.

He Mishiami emphasized the importance of ensuring that all students passing through Hayaat Senior High School were resourced to thrive academically and realize their full potential.

Dr. Naseeba Swallah Tahir, the Director of Hayaat Senior High School, highlighted the institution’s core mission of nurturing responsible individuals through education.

She emphasized the crucial role of education in combating societal issues such as corruption, stressing the school’s commitment to producing morally upright leaders who would resist corrupt practices and contribute to community development.

Nana Donkor Manianor (II), the Mankrado of Akewpim Obusomasi, who facilitated the construction by providing the land, expressed gratitude to Qatar Charity for their contribution to the development of the area.

He reaffirmed his commitment to local development initiatives and urged the school management to prioritize maintenance efforts, citing a need for improved maintenance culture.

Addressing
the audience, Mr. Hassan Owda, Director of Qatar Charity, accompanied by Hamad El-Sweidi, Deputy Ambassador of Qatar, outlined the organization’s objective of fostering the education of future professionals crucial for community development.

He underscored the pivotal role of education in societal progress and development.

In his closing remarks, Shaik Tahir Uttah offered extensive prayers for Qatar Charity, commending its significant contributions to humanity.

He lauded Qatar as a nation emerging as a global leader in humanitarian efforts and peace negotiations in the Middle East, invoking blessings upon its people.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Child Rights International (CRI), a creative human rights organisation with a focus on children’s rights, has called for prioritisation of juvenile justice following an alleged staged kidnapping incident in Accra.

A statement issued by Mr Bright Appiah, the Executive Director of CRI, copied to the Ghana News Agency, commended the Police for a swift intervention in this matter, effectively managing the situation and preserving the privacy of the juveniles involved in their official releases.

The publication by the Police showed that the alleged staged kidnapping incident, involving four juveniles of Presbyterian Boys Senior High School, Legon, and two adults, was an attempt to extort money for travel purposes.

It said as the investigation progressed, it was crucial to emphasise that any legal proceedings must adhere strictly to the Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 (Act 653).

The statement said it was imperative that all talks concerning juveniles be conducted within the juvenile justice system, ensuring that due
process and fairness are upheld.

It noted that furthermore, it was essential to note that the custody and detainment of the juveniles must comply with the provisions outlined in Section 15(1) of the Act, ‘The police shall make arrangements to detain the juvenile in a part of a police station special designated for juveniles or in a part of a police station which is separate from the area where persons other than juveniles are detained,’ Mandating the segregation of juvenile detainees from adult facilities.

It said also, throughout the judicial process, the utmost respect for the dignity and privacy of the juveniles must be maintained in accordance with Section 3(1): ‘A juvenile has the right to Privacy during arrest, the investigation of an offence , at the trial of the offence, and at any other stage of the cause or matter.’ Section 3(2): ‘A person shail not, in the course of arrest, investigation, or trial of an offence connected with a juvenile, or at any stage of the cause or matter, release any informa
tion for publication that may lead to the identification of the juvenile.’

The statement urged all parties involved, including institutions, organisations, and media entities, to act in accordance with the law when reporting on this case, refraining from actions that could compromise the rights of the juveniles in order to make the rehabilitation before and after the trial effective.

It said the custody, the detention, and the trial of the children should strictly comply with the Juvenile Justice Act (653) Section 1(2): ‘A juvenile shall be dealt with in a manner which is different from an adult, except under exceptional circumstances under Section 17.’

It said the detention of the four children should be separated from adults.

It said regardless of the outcome of the investigation that would lead to the legal proceedings, whether the juveniles were found culpable or not, it was imperative that their rehabilitation be prioritised in line with Section 2 of the Act, which underscores the paramount importanc
e of the best interests of the juvenile.

It said the CRI acknowledged the Significant public interest surrounding this case, as it presented an opportunity for constructive dialogue aimed at reassessing our societal priorities concerning the upbringing and socialisation of children.

The statement said it was crucial to recognise that children were a reflection of their environments, and collective efforts required to foster a conducive and supportive society for their development.

It reiterated that in all matters, the interests of the child should be paramount.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Faculty of Social Science (FSS) Education of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has held its seventh biennial social sciences conference with a focus on helping the country achieve economic stability through a multidisciplinary approach.

The two-day conference held on the theme: ‘Bringing the Gown to Town: Governance, Society and Post-pandemic Adjustments,’ reflected on current realities following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference discussed a wide range of topics including education, security, health, religion, culture and politics, environment and sustainable development.

It also touched on geospatial sciences and Artificial Intelligence, gender, sex, family life and reproductive health, all aimed at navigating the trying times and helping to improve livelihoods.

Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, Government Statistician, suggested that state institutions must be adequately resourced to mitigate corruption.

Without justifying corruption, he indicated that there wer
e pull and push factors that aided corruption and stressed the need to institute appropriate measures to mitigate them.

He said the conversation around corruption was so intense that little attention had been given to how state institutions were poorly resourced, emphasising how the situation facilitated corruption.

Prof Annim also advised the university to build a data repository for all the research conducted by both faculty and students for easy access.

Prof Anselm Komla Abotsi, Dean of the Faculty of Social Science Education, pledged the faculty’s resolve to promote the dissemination and publication of research findings through diverse ways to make them available to the public.

He said the FSS was determined to train an excellent workforce with a high sense of integrity and dedication to work in both education and industry as well as to project the image of UEW through teaching, research and community service in Ghana, Africa and beyond.

He said the faculty appreciated the importance of community ser
vice and education in the country, saying that faculty members brought their expertise to bear in developing and improving education and other sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

Prof Abotsi highlighted the faculty’s role in the development of secondary education curriculum, teacher materials and other related assessments and policies.

Prof Antwi also emphasised the need for ministries and the society, to rethink public interventions on health, security, welfare systems, education, governance structures and institutions to withstand future eventualities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Academic work in the Sunyani West Municipality has resumed, following the three teachers union calling off their two weeks strike over poor conditions of service.

The union has also called on the Ministry of Education and the Government to continue with the negotiations.

The National Labour Commission (NLC) earlier secured an injunction restraining the teacher unions from continuing their strike.

Teachers have resumed work in some of the schools that the Ghana News Agency visited at Fiapre in the Sunyani west Municipality.

The Junior High School (JHS) three classrooms at St. Patrick Catholic School at Fiapre were full of students seriously writing their Mock papers.

Some of the pupils at the lower level were not yet present in the school but one of the teachers, Nana Kwame Adu, hoped they may be in their numbers the next day.

Meanwhile, schools in the Sunyani East Municipality were still closed on the orders of the Bono Regional director of the Ghana Education service.

In a statement on March 18, the D
irector urged the schools in the Sunyani Municipal to allow school children within the Sunyani traditional area to stay home from 2 April, to 5 April, 2024 due to the funeral of the late paramount chief of Sunyani Nana Asor Nkrawie II.

The statement said the request was made during an engagement with representatives from the Sunyani Traditional Council and the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Sunyani Municipal Assembly.

The move was to ensure the safety of the children during the peak of the final funeral rites of the late chief which was set from Monday 1 April to Sunday April 7, 2024, it added.

The late Nana Nkrawiri II died in July 2022, at the Bono Regional Hospital.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Wednesday cut the sod for the construction of a 200-bed capacity hostel for the Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra.

The four-storey multi-purpose hostel would be completed within 14 months, with funding from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).

The project is being implemented in partnership with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Office of the Vice President.

The sod-cutting ceremony was in fulfillment of a promise the Vice President Bawumia made to the school two years ago during its 76th congregation.

Dr Bawumia said the hostel facility would provide a conducive accommodation for pastor trainees to study and impart moral values to society.

‘As an institution that trains and instills Godly values, the construction of this hostel will not only provide the much-needed accommodation for students, it will also serve as a hub for more learning and growth,’ he said.

Dr Bawumia said he wanted to see a Ghana where emphasis was placed on values and
doing the right things, with the human factor playing its appropriate role in curbing, among other vices, corruption, bribery, crime, dishonesty and indiscipline.

With that in mind, he would usher in a golden age of collaboration and partnership between government, faith-based organisations, and the church and ‘incentivise our faith-based organisations’.

‘And I believe that if we give them incentives, just as we give our external development partners, we will see a lot more coming from them and we will legislate those incentives in the context of the proposed charities bill.’

The Vice-President said: ‘When I look at the role of the Church and faith-based organisations you will see that in various areas, especially education and health, the Church has been very remarkable.’

He urged the stakeholders to look forward with optimism to the day when the hostel would stand tall as a testament to their collective vision and determination, which would address the accommodation deficit and serve as a hub for more l
earning and growth.

Dr Richard Ampofo Boadu, the Administrator, GETFund, said financing of education within Ghana’s tertiary sub sector was a complex and multi-faceted challenge that required collective action and commitment.

He, thus, encouraged tertiary institutions both public and private to explore innovative financing mechanisms to mobilise additional resources for tertiary education.

The Director- General of GTEC, Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, in a speech read on his behalf, said expanding access to tertiary education had been a critical component of the Commission’s plan.

‘We have prioritised these endeavours with the aim of achieving a gross tertiary enrollment ratio of 40 per cent by the year 2030.’

That ambitious goal, he explained, aligned not only with the national aspirations of GTEC but also the continental and international benchmark set forth in agenda 2063 of the African Union and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Very Rev. Prof J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, the President of the Tri
nity Theological Seminary, in his welcome remarks, commended the Vice President, GTEC and the GETFund for the initiative.

He said it would help to minimise the housing deficit of the Seminary and inspire it to improve its services.

The facility would cement the relationship between the Seminary and the Government, he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Design and Technology Institute (DTI) says it is committed to preparing young people for entrepreneurship, design innovation, and precision welding and fabrication careers. 

Miss Constance Swaniker, the Founder and President of DTI, said the institute would be expanding the training offers to include Agriculture and Agri-business and would scale up its unique Precision Quality training to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), artisans, and master crafts persons.

Madam Swaniker was speaking at the DTI Stakeholder Meeting on the theme: ‘Redefining Academia and Industry Collaboration as a Driver in Building Robust TVET System.’

She said DTI was relocating from its current one-acre campus to Berekuso opposite Ashesi University.

The Founder said the expansion had been made possible by a 3 million euro funding from the African Union Development Agency, Skills Initiative for Africa, and the German Bank KfW.

She said the DTI model required consideration as Ghana and Africa grapple with strategies to ensure full a
nd sustainable employment for the teeming youth.

‘The DTI since its inception conceived and implemented the Community Liaison Officers initiative which allows the Institute to partner with one or more members of the community to enable them to reach marginalized youth with the DTI opportunities,’ she added. 

She said in less than five years of full operation, DTI had demonstrated the powerful impact of focused holistic training towards skilling young people and making them ready for the world of work.

Miss Swaniker said already, all learners in the first two years of operation of DTI were already in full-time employment or were continuing their studies and assessments from multiple agencies.

She said in 2020, DTI, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, embarked on a 3-year project to create 40,000 job opportunities for young people with a focus on females and the vulnerable, a target which had been achieved according to assessments by an independent Labour Economist at the University of Ghana.

These job opportunities were created by giving formal training to young people in the dual TVET-cum-production school at DTI, training SMEs and master-craftspersons.

It also trained academic and business scale advisors and effected systems change through collaboration with state actors to shape national policy in precision quality and standardisation.

‘DTI believes that the traditional TVET approaches to training are overly theoretical and do not equip young people for workplace realities,’ she said.

She said their unique ‘production school’ programmes provide learners with regular and adequate hands-on, on-the-job training as part of the curriculum.

Miss Swaniker said students, regardless of their field of study, learn by doing and could engage in real-world projects.

She said DTI was founded in 2016 on the Accents and Arts (A and A) factory floor to provide the youth with work-readiness skills and to bridge the gap between industry and academia.

This occurred because of the huge and unsustainable de
mand on A and A to provide internship opportunities for young people, most of whom went on to get well-paid jobs after the training.

Dr Christopher Mensah, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Ho Technical University, said with close collaboration with the University and industry the graduates would be trained and ready for the world of work.

He said Industries were not seriously committed to investing in the training of students to feed their establishments.

He said as a University, they include Precision Quality into their curriculum to equip all students and prepare them for the future.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Upper East Regional Early Childhood Development Committee has called for strategic investment in early childhood education to ensure proper growth and development of children to accelerate the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Committee said infrastructure and interventions to promote early childhood education and development in many rural communities in the region were lacking and urged the Government and parents to invest in children.

It identified the lack of schools in some communities, inadequate classrooms, furniture, water and sanitation facilities, teachers, and security leading to theft as some of the challenges facing childhood development there.

The Committee, made up of stakeholders from the Departments of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service and traditional leaders among others identified these at the 2024 first quarter review meeting of the Committee in Bolgatanga.

It was organised by the Department of Children wi
th funding support from the Children Believe, a Non- Governmental Organisation.

Mrs Georgina Aberese-Ako, the Acting Regional Director, Department of Children, said early childhood education remained a major challenge in the region, adding that reports from the first quarter of the year still pointed out to inadequate investment to empower children.

She noted that apart from some communities not having schools and denying children access to education, others who had also struggled over limited classrooms, thereby creating overcrowding, especially at the kindergarten and lower primary levels.

‘In one of the communities in Builsa South that we visited, one classroom is accommodating four classes, that is KG one and two and primary one and two with one teacher, who is not even trained in early childhood education and it is a big problem,’ she said.

The situation of children not in school was worse in communities where the schools were not benefiting from the Ghana School Feeding programme, Mrs Aberese-Ako sa
id.

She added that one of the major challenges affecting early childhood education in some communities was the lack of community participation in protecting school property, leading to theft and damages.

Ms Yvonne Wonchua, the Gender Desk Officer, Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, noted that the achievement of the SDGs, particularly Goal Four, which put emphasis on access to education for all, required strong investment in childhood development from all stakeholders.

She urged the stakeholders to work together to address the challenges facing the development of children.

Pognaba Felicia Agampoka, the Queenmother of Bongo-Feo, said apart from the lack of schools in some communities, which was making it difficult for some children to access education, some parents did not also pay attention to the education of their children.

She said intensified education was needed to ensure parents understood the importance of education, especially at the basic level, to build a strong foundation.

Mr John Nyaab
a, the Upper East Regional Early Childhood Development Coordinator, Ghana Education Service, said the Directorate was aware of some of the issues raised ond was collaborating with stakeholders to address them and called for support.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The All Nations University (ANU) in Koforidua has held a ground-breaking ceremony to commence the construction of a one-storey health science block scheduled to be completed by September this year.

The groundbreaking ceremony marks the beginning of an important chapter in the university’s growth and commitment to providing cutting-edge facilities for quality education in the health sciences.

The block would be named after Dr James Orleans-Lindsay, the Chairman of the Emergency Medicine Technology (EMT) programme of the institution.

The building will contain 10 lecture halls, two skills laboratories for EMT practice, four heads of department offices, 10 faculty offices, washrooms, and other facilities.

Dr Orleans-Lindsay said science was the bedrock of all developments and that the building, when completed, would improve the learning experience of students aspiring to become doctors and promote further education.

Professor Samuel Donkor, the President of the University, said Ghana required well-trained pa
ramedics and emergency medical service providers who could promptly attend to medical emergencies at the scenes of disasters.

That would ensure victims got immediate care before being transported to the hospital for further treatment.

The All Nations University had a Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences faculty that provided programmes such as the Bachelor of Science (BSc) in General Nursing and the BSc in Emergency Medicine Technology.

Professor Albert Gyimah, the Chancellor, ANU, expressed his commitment to supporting the University in its efforts to promote the school.

The University also provided a broad spectrum of undergraduate and graduate programmes in areas like oil and gas engineering, electronic and communications engineering, business administration, and biblical studies, he said.

He said the graduate programmes offered an array of options, including MBA Accounting, Human Resources Management, Finance, Hospital Management, Information Technology, MPhil Business Administration, MPhil Theology
and MSc Cyber Security.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (FAusIMM), Mr Henry Antwi, said to be able to unlock the full potential of Ghana’s resources, policies should focus more on human capital development.

He, thus, called on the Government and the mining industry to boost the infrastructure and resource capacity of universities for effective human resource capacity building.

That would also ensure the building of capacity of graduates to innovate and use the right tools and technology to unlock the full potential of the mining industry in Ghana, he said.

Mr Antwi said this at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa, when the AusIMM Tarkwa Student Forum, held the Seventh Annual conference, on the theme: ‘Industry Training and Job Opportunities; Pathway for Empowering Young Professionals in Mining.’

It brought together mining companies, academia, media and other mining stakeholders, offering the students the opportunity to interact with industry executives and gain a good understan
ding of the theory.

On skills development, he mentioned competition and technology, which were driving change for relentless restructuring, and encouraged mining professionals to adapt and skill up to drive innovations to improve productivity and reduce operation costs.

Mr Antwi, also the Founder of the AusIMM, Tarkwa Student Chapter, spoke about revolutionary knowledge applications in artificial intelligence and technology, the increased penetration of robotics in process-controlled operations, and autonomous mining, emphasizing that global efforts to decarbonize economies called for the urgency for alternative energy sources such as renewable energy.

He challenged academia to develop technologies to increase the discovery of new mineral deposits, especially critical minerals including lithium, copper and cobalt.

Mr Antwi updated the participants on the current state of the local and global mining industry, saying mining played a crucial role in Ghana’s economic development contributing to GDP, export ea
rnings and government revenue.

Mr Samuel Boakye Pobee, the Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine, said: ‘In this era our softwares are becoming more collaborative.’

‘We need to develop that collaborative attitude in school… l think we need to build that in our students by giving group assignments, let’s stop giving individual assignments.’

Mr Stephen Yamoah Asante, the General Manager of Chirano Mine, explained that: ‘As students you have enormous opportunities to equip yourselves to be successful, so instead of bordering yourselves with questions on what is out there, let’s take advantage now.’

‘Although there are thousands of graduates out there, and vacancies are limited, we still advertise as employers with three years’ experience but end up employing people who have just completed university. The reason is that we identify people who can add value to the work we are doing.’

Miss Ekuba Bezeba Yalley, a lecturer at the Mining Engineering Department, UMaT, stressed that although the min
ing industry was a male dominated area, women studying science and engineering should be encouraged as the country was growing.

‘At UMaT we are looking at bringing more ladies into the mining industry, so we have instituted this gender mainstreaming policy that is fighting to get as many as 40 per cent of our student population to be women.’

The President of the AusIMM Tarkwa Chapter, Mr Daniel Obeng Boadi, noted that the chapter had provided opportunities for professional development for the students through monthly webinars, mine visits, networking with industry professionals and AusIMM Scholarships.

He expressed appreciation to the founder and other stakeholders who had supported them in diverse ways.

Dr Kofi Peter Amponsah-Mensah, the Director of Pamicor Limited, Mine Manager at Golden Star Resources, Wassa Mine, Mr George Asongo and Miss Josephine Wesoama Valejega of the Minerals Commission were present at the conference.

Source: Ghana News Agency