The formation of girls’ clubs in some communities in the Nanumba North and the Nanumba South districts has enhanced and improved educational performance and retention of girls in schools, which was bridging the gender parity gap.
Madam Musah Rukaya, a teacher and girls’ club mentor of the Nasamba Primary School, who made the observation, said the move had also encouraged many girls to remain in school and pursue higher educational laurels.
She explained that the clubs did not only teach good morals and other forms of socializations, but also educated girls about their rights thus boosting their confidence to withstand all forms of abuses.
Madam Rukaya was speaking to the media on Monday in Nasamba in the Nanumba South District during a familiarization tour of the area by officials of ActionAid Ghana (AAG) to acquaint themselves with the formation of the girls’ clubs.
The AAG and its partner Songtaba, both non-governmental organizations, has introduced the girls’ clubs concept in the area under the Stop Violence Against Girls in School (SVAG), an intervention that had increased enrolment, improved gender parity and educated girls on their rights.
Songtaba is a local NGO operating in the two Nanumba districts with the aim of advocating the rights of the vulnerable including women and children as well as implementing projects that would benefit the vulnerable in society.
Miss Abukari Mariam, an 18-year-old girl of the Nasamba Primary School told the GNA that through the girls’ club, she had visited several cities to learn new experiences for which reason she wanted to pursue a career that would help her become a nurse.
She said the clubs’ formation had not only built her confidence but enabled her to be assertive and confident to speak her mind.
Mr Mahama Amadu Jaama, Programmes Officer for Songtaba, said 13 girls’ clubs and community advocacy teams had been formed in the Nanumba North and South districts.
He said the two NGOs had started a new project in the area dubbed ‘Funding Leadership for Opportunities for Women’, a project that was aimed at sensitizing communities and women groups on the need for them (women) to get involved in farming activities.
Mr Jaama said the project at the end of the three and half year implementation, would assist some 1,796 women in various groupings in land ploughing, seedling provision, inputs supply and technical advice to enable them to be economically empowered.
Nasamba is a predominantly farming community in the Nanumba South district with about 1,232 inhabitants and has a primary and Junior High schools.
The Board of Directors of Accra Hearts of Oaks Sporting Club Limited have appointed Neil Armstrong Mortagbe as the new Managing Director of the club.
The decision was arrived at after sitting on the round table for several months.
Armstrong, has over the years been an enthusiastic servant of the Oak tree, he has served as the Chairman of the club’s supporters wing, the National Chapters Committee, and was also on the planning committee for the club’s centenary celebrations that took place two years ago.
He confirmed his appointment on his ‘facebook wall’ immediately after he was informed about it by the club’s Board Chairman, Togbe Afede XIV.
“…..I received a text message from Board Chairman of Accra Hearts of Oak SC Limited, Togbe Afede XIV. It was a very short but historic text message informing me that the Club’s Board had appointed me Managing Director of the club I have loved and supported actively for decades! …..” he wrote.
He succeeds Mr. Fred Crentsil, who resigned from the post due to his appointment as the Vice President of the Ghana Football Association after the sudden demise of Jordan Anagbla the then Vice President-GFA.
An Accra Fast Track High Court has described as wrongful the dismissal of some 21 students by the Pentecost University and the National Accreditation Board for allegedly entering the university without meeting the minimum entry requirements.
The Court, presided over by Justice Edward Amoako Asante, said the students relied on representations made to them by the university and the NAB through newspaper advertisements and could not be punished unduly.
The affected students earlier this year obtained a restraining order against the Pentecost University College and the NAB after they were withdrawn for non-compliance with the entry requirements.
Counsel for the students, Mr. Gary Nimako Marfo argued before the court that relying on the School’s brochure and subsequent publications, the affected students applied for and duly gained admission to the Pentecost University for the 2011/2012 academic year.
After paying the tuition fees, being issued with ID Cards and going through a Ceremony of Matriculation, the University wrote them letters withdrawing them, after a year of Study in various Courses.
According to Mr. Marfo, the action of the university was in response to claims by the National Accreditation Board that there were ‘defects’ in the entry grades of the affected students and a threat by NAB that it would withdraw its recognition of the University as a duly-accredited institution if the students were not withdrawn.
Continuing, Mr Marfo said the university did not indicate the nature of the said defects, did not give the students any notice or invite any of them to hear their side as required by the rule of Natural Justice.
He said the University College, which is affiliated to the University of Ghana, Legon, refused to listen to the students despite the fact that they, at all material times, acted in good faith and in reliance on the university’s representations to them.
He, therefore, prayed the Court to restrain the Respondents from abruptly and illegally terminating his clients’ accrued rights and grant consequential reliefs to ensure that their Constitutional right to Education was not unduly curtailed.
The court agreed with him.
In his ruling, Justice Asante said, NAB has by accrediting the Pentecost University “with the minimum admission requirement which includes D7 and E8 passes as set out herein, and the 1st respondent (Pentecost University) also by advertising those requirements in the daily newspapers as the admission requirements which state of affairs influenced the applicants to apply for and obtain admissions into the 1st correspondent university, cannot resile from their representations. I find that they have by their representations made the applicants to believe in their publications as the true minimum admission requirements and so they cannot turn around to change the conditions unilaterally to the disadvantage of the applicants. The withdrawal of the applicants who relied on the state of affairs presented by the correspondents is very wrongful because the publications were conclusively presumed to be the true situation so far as the applicants were concerned and they rightly relied on them.”
He added that “I think that those entry requirements, though changed by the respondents, cannot affect the admission of the applicants herein. I find the purported withdrawal of the applicants from the 1st respondent university wrongful and I set aside the 2nd respondent (NAB’s) decision to withdraw the applicants from the 1st respondent university.”
The court said the students should, however, be made to re-write the relevant subjects and pass same before they can graduate.
Counsel for the Petitioners in the Election Petition hearing has withdrawn an extract of the polling station register, after Respondents raised doubts about its authenticity.
The extract is a photo register meant to demonstrate that some registrations had the same image but different names and ages – an irregularity.
But the register had pictures of voters not tallying in the arrangement of the original register. The extract of pages five and six is not as it is in the pages of the original.
Witness for the Electoral Commission Dr. Afari-Gyan says he has no idea where the document was extracted from because their database did not show it as the same.
Tsatsu Tsikata, counsel for the ruling NDC believes that the document is “lacking in authenticity”. He says elements of the extract were questioned and have been “completely shattered”. He would however not object to the original being tendered in evidence.
Addison insists that it is incorporated in the witness’ original document.
The E.C, he says, has admitted to the names in the extract and the soft copy of the original register was given to the New Patriotic Party by the E.C.
Judge Baffoe-Bonnie interjects and says what Addison is tendering is “definitely not an extract”. He says an extract as an English word ought to be the same as the original.
Another Judge says, it is not fair for counsel for the Petitioners to provide an extract to the E.C without giving him the advantage of referring to the original.
He says it is possible for an original picture of a person to be superimposed with a different picture.
Addison insists it is an extract from the document given to them by the E.C.
“Respectfully I beg to differ on this occasion but I will withdraw my document,” he offers.
The Respondents preferred that the panel of judges give a ruling on the matter. But the presiding judge says withdrawing a document has been allowed before.
Incarcerated Managing Editor of the Daily Searchlight newspaper, Mr. Kenneth Kuranchie has regained his freedom after his release from jail Thursday morning.
He served his 10 days’ prison sentence imposed on him by Ghana’s Supreme Court which found him guilty of criminal contempt.
After walking out of what some have described as a jail-tour because of his frequent transfer from one jail to another, Mr. Kuranchie told journalists he believes his sentence was unjust.
He told Accra-based Oman FM that the sentence will not cower and restrain him from asking critical questions of even the Supreme Court.
“I won’t live in a country where my child cannot speak his mind,” he stated.
Mr. Kuranchie fell foul of the law when he critiqued the Supreme Court’s reprimand of Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party, Sammy Awuku, in a front-page comment in his newspaper.
He wondered why the court hearing the Presidential Election Petition heard Sammy Awuku’s comments but didn’t hear worse comments made by others.
Mr. Awuku had suggested that the court was being selective and hypocritical in citing a Daily Guide newspaper publication for bad reportage. He subsequently apologised to the court and was banned from attending the proceedings which enter day-43 today, Thursday, July 11, 2013.
Writing after the court’s action, Mr. Kuranchie said he agreed with Sammy Awuku’s views that the court was being selective and hypocritical.
He asked the court to provide guidelines on what constituted contemptuous comments, insisting that if the court gave a ruling, the public was entitled to comment on it and to use strong language in doing so.
The Supreme Court, feeling offended by the comments, invited the outspoken editor who sought to explain the comments.
The court sentenced him to 10 days’ imprisonment
on Tuesday July 2, 2013, for failing to show remorse.
Following his release, he maintained that the questions he raised in the comments that earned him the prison sentence had not been answered by the court. They ought to be answered by the justices of the Supreme Court, he said.
“They must clarify for the people of this country [what constitutes contempt]. If necessary they can issue a gagging order…then everybody will obey the Supreme Court; but as I speak…that gagging order has not been issued; as I talk to you they have not defined for the people of this country [that which is] unlawful. There is something that is unlawful out there; the exact nature of that unlawfulness nobody knows; it is in the minds bosoms of their lordships and I think it is unfair,” he said.
According to him, “what they think should be lawful and what should not be lawful [comments], they should define for the people of this country so that we will obey it for the duration of this trial.”
Mr. James Kojo Kokpanomo, Upper East Regional Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment And Entrepreneurial Agency, (GYEEDA) has promised to make public, police investigations into allegations that the Bawku and Garu coordinators of the agency have embezzled monies meant for beneficiaries under the agency.
Media reports, last week were that, the Garu district coordinator of GYEEDA, Richard Azumah was being investigated by police for allegedly diverting about 200, 000 Ghana Cedis from the official account of the Agency into his personal account.
Similarly, his colleague at the Bawku Munipal office of GYEEDA, Philip Ayamba was also alleged to have constantly forged the signature of a former accountant of the office to withdraw a total of 400, 000 Ghana Cedis.
The two were granted bail to allow investigations to continue.
The Bawku Police and management of the BESSFA Rural Bank whose accountant is said to have aided in the alleged crimes have remained tight-lipped on the matter.
Mr. Kokpanamo, however, in an interview with A1 radio’s Albert Sore assured the general public that, the alleged crimes of the two district coordinators would be made public, once the police have concluded investigations.
Director of Police Public Affairs, DSP Cephas Arthur
Director of Police Public Affairs, DSP Cephas Arthur
Director of Police Public Affairs, DSP Cephas Arthur has questioned Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index report which ranked Ghana Police Service as the most corrupt saying “the research done whereby year in year out, the police tops the corruption index beats my imagination. It questions the integrity of the research.”
According to him, the Police Force was the only public institution that did not hesitate to expose their own when they are caught engaging in corrupt practices.
“If there is any public institution in this country which is doing so much to make sure it instills some discipline and rid its membership of people with questionable character, it is the police services…we even go to the extent of exposing our own who are involved in acts of indiscipline and misconduct,” he stated.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News, DSP Arthur mentioned that even though some police personnel misconduct themselves they should not to be used to measure the whole force.
“A lot has been done in this direction. We are not saying that we don’t have a situation where some police personnel within our fold misconduct themselves by taking bribe but you don’t use one or two situations to generalise the issue ,” he said.
Adding that, “we are not saying we are an institution of angels. We are just like any other institution so singling out the police all the time and putting them on top of the corruption index is interesting.”
On the same issue, Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations, Murtala Mohammed insisted he believed that the report was based solely the perception of Ghanaians.
“This is how people perceive the system to be. There can never be any society without corruption. What is important is putting the necessary mechanisms in place to ensure that people did not even have the opportunity to be corrupt and that there will be measures to deal with those who are corrupt,” he stated.
“I would not take the position that rubbishes the report. It is important to take such reports seriously and see what we can do so that next year or two years to come, there will be a report that says, regardless it being based on perception; that corruption in Ghana has reduced,” he added.
Key findings in this year’s Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer indicate that public institutions in Ghana suffer the worst levels of bribery.
The Global Corruption Barometer reflects the responses of about one hundred and fifteen thousand people in 107 countries including Ghana.
The Barometer asked for people’s views on corruption in their country generally, and which institutions the problem of corruption was most severe.
Among the eight services evaluated, the Police and the judiciary are seen as the two most bribery-prone.
Praye Tietia, a member of music group, Praye and boyfriend of Ghanaian Big Brother Africa (The Chase) representative, Selly has issued a stern warning to persons who post insulting comments under his facebook pictures.
The rapper, known in real life as Steven Fiawoo has expressed reservations about the personal attacks on him on the social networking site, stating persons who continue insulting him will be ‘deleted’.
Praye Tietia, also known as Big J, has not known peace since a video about his girlfriend Selorm (Selly) Ghalley allegedly having sex with Tanzanian representative in the Big Brother house surfaced on the internet.
The rapper, who has remained mute on the alleged sex tape, has come under several public attacks on the issue forcing him to issue a final warning Tuesday.
He posted on facebook that: “This is the first n last tym I will evr want to see anybody write thrash or pass any dirty comments on or under any of my pictures, I have bn very quiet all this while bcuz of the love n respect I have for my fans but it seems some people wants to abuse it n I will not allow that anymore, u either respect my page or I block or restrict u frm commenting on my page, u are WARNED.”
The warning was issued after an individual posted some unpleasant comments under a photo of Selly and her manager Amanda Jissih.
Another fan, in a response to the unpleasant comments by the individual posted that: lool people dnt watch bba yet they write bullshit people dnt even ve a penny to pay for dstv yet facebook ve given them opportunity to come here to write nonsense.”
“Selly is a smart girl nothing and i repeat nothing happened btn her and nando they kissed and smooch bt never had sex those of us who stayed up thruout de night and ve subscribe to dstv vip can tell u nothing happened so chill,” the fan added.
Meanwhile, Selly during an interaction with fellow Ghanaian Elikem and South African Angelo has denied having sex with Nando stating that they only kissed.
Awese Kabah was an Octogenarian, who was full of interesting stories and a good companion to many who were eager to listen to stories of pre-colonial days.
Mr Kabah who died in 2004 had a lot of tales about how and why the education of women was neglected in the past.
He used to recount the damning views he had on why the girl-child should not be educated since to him male children were superior at all stages of life including education.
According to Mr Kabah, who had eight wives, women were the worst enemies to males and were only fit for the kitchen.
His radical views changed later in life as he grew up in Manyoro, a village in the Kassena/Nankana District of the Upper East Region.
Education refined his chauvinist thoughts as the few females in his class competed favourably with the male counterparts and even surpassed them at times.
Thankfully the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED-Ghana), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has launched a national campaign to promote girl child education.
Although many gender activists and institutions have advocated women inclusiveness in all sphere of life for the development of the country, the role of CAMFED in this direction stands out.
The organisation has taken a giant step to fully and adequately give quality education and lifelong training to fulfil the dreams and goals of many young women from poor homes, especially those from the rural areas, thus creating for them a good future.
Starting its operation in the country in 1998 in the Northern Region, it has expanded its tentacles to the Upper East, Upper West and Central Regions because of the endemic poverty in these areas.
It aims at reducing poverty, eliminate school-drop out, increase employment opportunities for the girl-child and curtail social marginalisation. It has also boosted the confidence of many girls and enhanced the decision-making process of women at the family and community level.
CAMFED, a UK-based international NGO with branches in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe has supported 131,348 students directly to go to school while 26,176 received bursary supports such as school fees, uniforms, bags and other stipend that would encourage the girls to stay in school.
Aside 26,176 girls have been supported through secondary school with a full scholarship while a 59,895 students and community members have been trained in financial literacy. This year alone the NGO had given scholarships to 16,000 girls.
Also 1,488 businesses have been set up by young women who received seed money after being trained in financial literacy. Selection of beneficiary girls from the 721 schools in 30 districts are based on merit but one basic condition is that such persons must be known to be in need.
These tremendous achievements received commendation from the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Naa Oye Lithur but according to Mrs Delores Dickson, Executive Director of CAMFED-Ghana says the best is yet to come.
Access to quality education is the major interventions of CAMFED. It also provides teaching and learning resources to partner schools to improve the learning environment and career guidance, counselling and internships through holiday camps to ensure the full development of the child.
It has also devoted funds in teacher training and skills development to improve the quality of teaching and mentoring.
CAMFED has decided to create one umbrella body called “CAMA” which is a network of CAMFED’s beneficiaries to enable them learn and share ideas.
Ms Celestine Sitsofe Dordoye, a beneficiary of CAMFED told the Ghana News Agency that her life would have been miserable without the support, explaining that her father refused to take care of her when she got pregnant mid-way during senior high school (SHS).
She said she was provided with her basic needs and school fees from the SHS to the university where she is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
Ms Dordoye was full of praise to the organisation that gave her the best in life, adding that her confidence level has improved through the exposure.
Abudu Rahinatu, who received support during her training college education, graduated in 2009 and is currently working as a teacher.
Ghana is one of the countries in Africa making significant impact in the human development index aimed at meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) with education being one of the cardinal targets.
Achieving the international standards of universal education could quadruple the attainment of other MDGs.
The United Nation’s Girl’s Initiative gives a positive picture about the country’s education from 2005 when the capitation grant was introduced after the abolishment of school fees.
It said: “Enrolment went up from about 500,000 students in 2004-2005 to more than 800,000 in 2005-2006, an increase of 67 per cent. During the same period, the primary net enrolment rate increased from 59.1 per cent to 68.8 per cent, while net enrolment at the junior secondary level increased from 31.6 per cent to 41.6 per cent. The increase in enrolment was higher for girls than for boys, thus further narrowing gender gaps.
“The national primary gender parity index has improved from 0.93 to 0.95. A similar trend is observed in the poorest and most remote areas, confirming that abolishment of school fees benefits the poor.”
The worrying trend since enrolment increased the yawning gap between pupil-teacher ratio aside infrastructural difficulties.
These two factors have created over-crowding to the extent that a single teacher handles 134 pupils per class as was the case at Samlibouku Junior High School in the Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District.
Government must reduce the negative social and cultural perceptions about formal education, especially for girls especially in the northern part of the country, where poverty level is high.
The inability of parents or guardians to bear the cost of education, including uniforms, stationery and food, as well as the opportunity cost of sending girls to school must also be addressed by government at all levels.
Also the long distances children trek to school, too few facilities and a lack of child-friendly environment available in many public schools needs to be factored into the county’s educational planning.
Ghana as a country can only actively hold its chest out among nations when its educational system is fully developed through policies and financial commitments.
There must be targeted construction and rehabilitation of schools, classrooms and other facilities, such as separate toilet facilities for girls and boys.
The promise by the Government to expand educational infrastructure and construct 200 SHS is long overdue.
The Executive is expected to train teachers to give quality tuition to fill the huge pupil-teacher ratio in the country, hence the need for the fulfilment of the pledge to establish 10 additional teacher training colleges nationwide.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an application by the petitioners for the court to order KPMG to make a unique count of 1,545 pink sheets which were not included in the total of 8,675 sheets certified by the accounting firm.
The KPMG in their report claimed they excluded those pink sheet exhibits because the writings on them were illegible. They however added that, the court could give further directions on how to deal with those pink sheets.
Justice William Atuguba, President of the panel of Judges hearing the election petition in giving the ruling directed the petitioners to list out the 1,545 polling stations, which they claim they have been able to identify despite its illegibility, for the second respondent to respond to.
He said the referees report is auxiliary to the court, adding that, the court has a primary duty to adjudicate the case.
He said since the pink sheets on which the petitioners are depending on are the same as those they filed in court, they have the burden to demonstrate those exhibits in their own analysis, with the aid of the referee’s report, in respect of the alleged violations.
Justice Atuguba further stated that any perceived difficulty still lingering, can be cleared by the petitioners through the cross-examination of the second respondent.
Mr Philip Addison, lead Counsel for the Petitioners in his submission stated that the application by the petitioners was brought under Order 28 of CI 47 and not CI 75.
He said the application was filed for the court to order the referee to determine the unique count and polling station of the 1,545 exhibits the referee claimed were illegible in its report.
He further stated that there should be a unique count of the 2,876 pink sheets found in the President’s set, which were not in the Registrar’s set.
Mr Addison argued that if these unique counts were done, it would be clear for all to see the number of exhibits filed by the Petitioners, which would greatly assist the court.
He said the Petitioners application has been necessitated because this matter if not addressed, leaves the KPMG report incomplete.
He maintained that the application was meant to “tie up loose ends in the report,” adding that, the KPMG’s action amounted to exclusion of evidence.
Mr Addison argued that the respondents have not complained that they cannot identify the particular pink sheets and that it was the referee who was not able to properly identify them.
He said the Respondents cannot suffer any “injury” as a result of conducting this additional audit by KPMG.
Dr. Bassit Bamba, Counsel for first Respondent had argued that the request by the petitioners was beyond the mandate of the referee.
He said the order by the court to KPMG for the count of the pink sheet exhibit was specific.
He intimated that KPMG was ordered to do a true and faithful count of pink sheets and not to establish the identity of pink sheets as the petitioners’ motion sought to do, saying that, after all, the petitioners know what they filed.
Mr James Quarshie-Idun, Counsel for the second Respondent submitted that the motion by the petitioners was going to delay the case.
He stated that it was the petitioners’ responsibility to prove their case and not to shift the burden of proof on KPMG.
Mr Tsatsu Tsikata Counsel for third Respondent catalogued the petitioners’ opposition to the count when they first applied to the court to order it.
He noted that the petitioners, who earlier opposed the KPMG’s report, are now requesting the referee to help their case.
He said what the petitioners are seeking to do would add nothing relevant in determining the outcome of this case.
The formation of girls’ clubs in some communities in the Nanumba North and the Nanumba South districts has enhanced and improved educational performance and retention of girls in schools, which was bridging the gender parity gap.
