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Asakulsi Primary School sitting on timebomb; toilet and unrinal facilities are death traps – Teachers

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Teachers of the Asakulsi Primary School in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region say they are sitting on a timebomb. This is because the toilet and urinal facilities available for use by pupils at the school have become death traps.

When A1 News visited the school on January 18, 2022, after an SOS call by the Assembly Member for the Akonka-Akompaabiisi Electoral Area, Shaibu Apoore, huge cracks, could be seen along the walls of both facilities. The concrete slabs covering the reservoir dug to collect human waste had broken off thus exposing the waste materials to open air. Rains had also caused serious erosion under the building uncovering the foundation of the building and making it unsafe for use.

   Concrete slabs broken, exposing human waste

Meanwhile, the interior of both the urinal and the toilet facilities had been taken over by weeds and were harbouring some insects and other critters. These are however the only facilities available for use during school hours.

The teachers who spoke to A1 News feared that it is only a matter of time until the entire structure caved in. They feared that the structure which is still deteriorating could cause serious harm to pupils and teachers who use it. They are thus calling on well-meaning organisations and individuals to go to the aid of the school.

    Cracks in the walls of the urinal

The Assembly Member for the Akonka-Akompaabiisi Electoral Area, Shaibu Apoore who spoke exclusively to A1 News was unhappy that the many attempts to draw the attention of the Bongo District Assembly to the plight of the school had proved futile.

Meanwhile, as the 2022 Academic calendar begins, teachers and pupils of the Asakulsi Primary School are dreading their return to school. This is because the entire student population of about 140 students have to make do with less than 20 dual desks.

The situation is not any different for teachers of the school. The teachers have two benches and some worn-out chairs to sit on. There are however only two small tables for the 8 teachers that teach in the school.

    Furniture for teachers

 

For parents, the lack of furniture at the Asakulsi Primary School is a nightmare. Parents have to spend more on soap and water to wash the uniforms of their wards. This is because the students have to spend more time sitting and sleeping on the floor to enable them to undertake their normal teaching and learning activities.

Also, when teachers showed up on the reopening day to the Asakulsi Primary School, January 18, 2022, as was directed by the Ghana Education Service (GES), they met only 10 out of the 140 students that are on the roll. The 10 who showed up were not even clad in school uniforms.

When A1 News visited the community, the teachers who spoke to the News Team on the basis of anonymity explained that the situation has remained the same for years. The teachers said they usually have to go to the homes of the children to ‘chase’ them to school. They said this makes their work extremely difficult. The situation is worsened by parents who are not incentivised to compel their children to go to school because of the lack of furniture and other teaching and learning materials.

A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana

Asakulsi Primary School: Only 10 out of 175 pupils show up on reopening day, January 18, 2022

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When teachers showed up on the reopening day to the Asakulsi Primary School, January 18, 2022, as was directed by the Ghana Education Service (GES), they met only 10 out of the 175 students that are on the roll. The 10 who showed up were not even clad in school uniforms.

When A1 News visited the community, the teachers who spoke to the News Team on the basis of anonymity explained that the situation has remained the same for years. The teachers said they usually have to go to the homes of the children to ‘chase’ them to school. They said this makes their work extremely difficult. The situation is worsened by parents who are not incentivised to compel their children to go to school because of the lack of furniture and other teaching and learning materials.

The Asakulsi Primary School does not have a Junior High School. This means that students after completing Primary School have to travel long distances to Bongo-soe or Ayopea to further their studies. The teachers explained that “if 10 students complete primary 6 here and go to JHS in other communities for JHS education by the time that they get to JHS 3, there will be only 1 or 2 students left. When they meet you [the teachers], especially the girls, they will be asking you to do something [give them money]. For the boys when they start doing business and get money, they are no longer interested in school”.

Meanwhile, as the 2022 Academic calendar begins, teachers and pupils of the Asakulsi Primary School in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region are dreading their return to school. This is because the entire student population of about 140 students have to make do with less than 20 dual desks.

The situation is not any different for teachers of the school. The teachers have two benches and some worn-out chairs to sit on. There are however only two small tables for the 8 teachers that teach in the school.

For parents, the lack of furniture at the Asakulsi Primary School is a nightmare. Parents have to spend more on soap and water to wash the uniforms of their wards. This is because the students have to spend more time sitting and sleeping on the floor to enable them to undergo their normal teaching and learning activities.

When A1 News visited the community, the Assembly Member of Akonka-Akompaabiisi Electoral Area, Shaibu Apoore explained that the many problems of the school have existed even before he took office as Assembly Member of the area. Mr. Apoore lamented that despite the numerous request and pleas to the Bongo District Assembly, nothing has been done to provide relief for the teachers and students.

A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana

Bongo District: 175 students sharing less than 20 dual desks at Asakulsi Primary School

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As the 2022 Academic calendar begins, teachers and pupils of the Asakulsi Primary School in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region are dreading their return to school. This is because the entire student population of about 175 students have to make do with less than 20 dual desks.

The situation is not any different for teachers of the school. The teachers have two benches and some worn-out chairs to sit on. There are however only two small tables for the 8 teachers that teach in the school.

For parents, the lack of furniture at the Asakulsi Primary School is a nightmare. Parents have to spend more on soap and water to wash the uniforms of their wards. This is because the students have to spend more time sitting and sleeping on the floor to enable them to undergo their normal teaching and learning activities.

When A1 News visited the community, the Assembly Member of Akonka-Akompaabiisi Electoral Area, Shaibu Apoore explained that the many problems of the school have existed even before he took office as Assembly Member of the area. Mr. Apoore lamented that despite the numerous request and pleas to the Bongo District Assembly, nothing has been done to provide relief for the teachers and students.

The Assembly Member explained that due to the lack of furniture and the additional expenses in maintaining uniforms and books of students, parents have no motivation to enrol their students in school.

  Benches available for use by teachers

“This block, there is no furniture, the pupils are lying on their bellies to write and this does not help,” Mr. Shaibu stated.

He added, “I spoke to the Assembly several times and they say they will try and see if they can help”.

He, therefore, appealed to Government and well-meaning Ghanaians and organisations to go to their aid to remedy the situation.

A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith & Kennedy Zongbil|Ghana

UE: NALAG receives 500 motorbikes for Assembly Members

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The Upper East Regional Office of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), has taken delivery of 500 motorbikes meant for assembly members in the 15 Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region.

The motorbikes were supposed to be delivered to the assembly members in 2019 but encountered a long delay. The delay was attributed to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The motorbikes are expected to enable the Assembly Members to move within their Electoral Areas with ease.

This was made known at the Regional Delegates Conference of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana ( NALAG) held in Bolgatanga. The National President of NALAG Bismark Nkum addressing delegates said the Upper East Region is one of the first regions in Northern Ghana to take delivery of the consignment.

      National President of NALAG Bismark Nkum

He said “in upper East Region, we are expecting about 500 motorbikes. This morning, I’m told one container full of motorbikes is in and that is about 224. I have spoken to the supplier in the morning and my understanding is that between Monday and Friday next week, we are going to have the rest for the region. What it means is that by Friday next week, we can confidently say that Upper East Region is fully supplied”.

Mr. Nkum admonished members to remain resolute as the leaders are working to address all the issues assembly members face regarding their sitting allowances and ex-gratia.

NALAG held a regional delegates conference under the theme ‘Transforming the local economy for inclusive and sustainable recovery’ to among other things elect regional representatives for Region.

Five delegates from each of the 15 Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region attended the conference at the Ghana Health Service In-service Training Center in Bolgatanga.

NALAG is made up of Assembly members, presiding officers, and MMDCs across the country.

The District Chief Executive of Binduri, Ayinga Abagre was elected the Regional Representative for NALAG in the Upper East Region.

    District Chief Executive of Binduri, Ayinga Abagre

Mr. Ayinga expressed his gratitude to delegates and pledged to present the concerns of members to the National Executive for redress.

A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Samuel Kantomse Adagom|Ghana

Ghana Health Service says pregnant women can now receive Covid-19 vaccine

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Ghana Health Service says it is now safe for pregnant women in Ghana to take the Covid-19 Vaccines.

According to Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, this is based on local and international evidence.

Speaking to Journalists in Accra, he said during the early stages of the Vaccine roll-out, GHS was sceptical about administering the Vaccines to pregnant women.

However, pregnant women can now receive the Covid-19 jabs based on recent data and findings.

Source: gbcghanaonline.com

Meeting between GES, teacher unions on semester system ends inconclusively

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A meeting between the Ghana Education Service, GES, and the leadership of some teacher unions over the implementation of the semester-based academic calendar for public pre-tertiary schools has ended inconclusively.

The meeting followed an accusation by the teacher unions, namely,  GNAT, NAGRAT,  CCT, and TEWU that the Ghana Education Service failed to engage broadly before coming out with the calendar.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Education Service, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, who spoke to Citi News on the latest said “we met the teacher unions, we presented our argument before them, just like they did. They insisted that we go back to the trimester system. We were not able to reach a resolution.”

She indicated that GES will reach out to the teacher unions for another meeting in the coming weeks “so we can finally settle the issue.”

Meanwhile, the leaders of the teacher unions say they will not relent in their efforts to push for their demands.

The unions, GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT, have called for the withdrawal of the timetable, which introduces a semester-based curriculum for pupils in kindergarten and primary levels.

The decision to switch to a semester system for the academic year has been met with opposition from teacher unions and some civil society groups for various reasons.

The unions fear, among other things, that, such a move will lead to a long school calendar and will have a negative impact on the health and concentration of pupils and education workers.

Source: citinewsroom.com

E-Levy: Ofori-Atta lists transactions to be affected and exempted

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The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, says he is working out modalities to resubmit the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) to Parliament for approval.

The tax, also known as E-Levy has been the bone of contention since the government presented its 2022 Budget statement to the House last year.

According to him, the move will increase the country’s tax-to-GDP from 13% to a targeted 16% or more.

Minority insists that the 1.75% tax is a tool to exacerbate the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian, which the Covid-19 pandemic has already impacted.

A section of the populace and experts have also greeted the yet-to-be approved levy with disapproval.

As Parliament prepares to reconvene on January 25, the Finance Minister has been clarifying some issues regarding the E-levy, which he hopes will clear the air ahead of the bill’s resubmission.

To drum home his justifications, the Minister listed many transactions that will be affected by the levy.

Addressing the media at the Ministry’s press conference on Wednesday, Mr Ofori-Atta enumerated that it will encapsulate the following:

  • Mobile money transfers between accounts on the same electronic money issuer (EMI)
  • Mobile money transfers from an account on one EMI to a recipient on another EMI
  • Transfers from bank accounts to mobile money accounts
  • Transfer from mobile money accounts to bank accounts
  • Bank transfers on a digital platform or application which originate from a bank account belonging to an individual to another individual

The Minister subsequently highlighted some scenarios where the E-Levy will not apply. They are;

  • Cumulative transfers of GHC100 per day made by the same person
  • Transfers between accounts owned by the same person
  • Transfers for the payment of taxes, fees and charges on the Ghana.gov platform
  • Electronic clearing of cheques
  • Specified merchant payments (that is, payments to commercial establishments registered with the GRA for income tax and VAT purposes)
  • Transfers between principal, master agent and agent’s accounts

Citing Bloomberg’s report on Ghana’s economy, he said approving the e-levy would help address the issue of the downgrade of Ghana’s credit rating from B to B-.

Mr. Ofori-Atta also noted that the levy would be the driving force to move the country towards a more sustainable debt level.

The engagement forms part of a sensitisation campaign geared towards getting the populace on board with the introduction of the levy.

Source: myjoyonline.com

Organic products protect skin from cancer-Cosmetologist

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Studio shot of a beautiful young woman posing against a pink background

The use of organic products protects the skin from cancer and other related diseases, Ms Hausat Muntaka, Chief Executive Officer of Hausat Enterprise has stated.
She said organic products were made from natural ingredients which help protect the skin from sun radiation, prevent breakouts, and soothe irritated skin unlike products made from chemicals that caused skin breakouts and irritation.

Ms. Muntaka in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Tema said, “What comes to mind when good health is mentioned is eating a balanced diet, and regular exercises”.
She said the skin absorbed everything fed onto it exposing it to a lot of unnecessary chemicals will eventually had negative effects.

She said it was easy to go to cosmetic shops and choose whatever skincare products, but patrons also need to take a good look at the ingredients of the products.
“Be sure of what you feed your skin, get to learn more about most of the ingredients in your skincare products and make sure they are organic for your own good,” she said.
Ms Muntaka said artificial chemicals could lead to lasting health repercussions since the products were absorbed into skin tissues.

She encouraged the youth to choose organic products to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Source: GNA

NIA defends letter on SIM re-registration but concerned

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The National Identification Authority (NIA) has mounted a spirited defence of a letter purported to be responding to some queries by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications (GCT), Dr. Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey.

The GCT CEO, in a letter in September 2021, sought three specific technical clarifications from NIA on the potential interface between the National Identification System (NIS) and the planned SIM registration exercise scheduled to commence the following month.

The response, which in part shied away from endorsing the quality of the biometrics to be captured by NCA, has raised concerns as regards data sanctity and legality.

But in a press release on Wednesday, January 19, the NIA emphasised: “The NIA stands by every statement contained in its response letter of 13th September 2021 as being technically factual, accurate, correct and honest.”

It said that letter was duly copied the ministers of Interior and Justice as well as the Executive Chairman of third parties Identity Management Systems II Limited (IMS II).

It pledged unalloyed support to the ongoing SIM cards re-registration, dispelling the “various meanings, interpretations, intentions and motives” that have been spun on its response letter, which it said could have been leaked.

“For the avoidance of doubt, NIA reiterates its ardent support for SIM card registration in this country as an important Government policy,” the press release signed by the Acting Head of Corporate Affairs, Abudu Abdul-Ganiyu, said.

“The NIA greatly values inter-agency co-operation and collaboration for the attainment of Government’s development policies and programs.

“To this end, it has successfully co-operated, within the framework of the law and public policy, with other user agencies such as SSNIT, NHIA, GRA and the Controller & Accountant-General’s Department in advancing data harmonization and integration in this country, and will continue to do so with the NCA and other state institutions.”

The NIA, however, expressed concerns how the letter was leaked in 2022 when it was written in 2021.

“It is regrettable that official correspondence between two institutions would be leaked and used for improper purposes.

“The NIA condemns such conduct which undermines public trust and dissipates the energies of public officials who have to address same.”

Source: 3news.com

GFA boss defends Milo; has no regrets sacking CK

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The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku, has said that he has no regrets giving former Black Stars captain and coach Charles Kwablah Akunnor the sack and going for Serbian tactician Milovan Rajevac.

In what appears to be a defence of the returnee Black Stars coach, Kurt Okraku said all coaches go through challenges in their careers and in the case of Milovan Rajevac, it was “unfortunate” he not have even four days of continuous engagement with his charges before travelling to Cameroon for the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations.

“It is also true that Milovan has had an unfortunate time with our Black Stars. Unfortunate in the sense that he has never had even four days uninterrupted to train this squad since he took over the ship,” he told host Johnnie Hughes on TV3‘s New Day on Thursday morning, a few hours after the team arrived from Cameroon.

“Most often, he had to train his team two days in going to competition and this is a fact.

“We believed that the AFCON platform would give all of us the needed space to train the squad but what happened? FIFA gave a directive that players could stay with their clubs up to the 3rd and 4th of January and the competition started on the 9th of January.

“Again, not more that four days of uninterrupted full-house training. Lets be fair.”

He also observed that the squad taken by Ghana to the tournament was predominantly made up of “new” players of 17 debutants.

Ghana’s campaign in Cameroon has become arguably the most disastrous in the history of the four-time winners.

The team lost 2-0 to the Atlas Lions of Morocco in their first game, drew 1-1 with the Panthers of Gabon and lost 3-2 to debutants Comoros Islands in a match captain Dede Ayew received a straight red card.

For him, there should be an introspection for cool heads to prevail for the next task ahead.

But he insisted that sacking former coach CK Akunnor is not a regrettable decision his administration took.

Source: 3news.com

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