Day: June 27, 2024

Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Minority Leader in Parliament, Wednesday denied alleged accusations made by Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Majority Leader that the Minority Caucus was allegedly opposed to a bill on the Free Senior High School Free (SHS) Policy.

Dr Forson responded to the alleged accusations by noting that Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President and the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) flagbearer, had allegedly publicly expressed his opposition to a law regulating the Free SHS Policy.

‘In fact, if there is anybody in this country who is on record to have said that he does not believe in a free SHS law, it is rather the Vice President. The Vice President, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, is on record to have said that there is no need for a bill or a law to regulate the Free Senior High School and not the NDC. He’s on record, he said, all you need is commitment,’ Dr Forson said while speaking to reporters in Parliament.

‘…So NDC, we are committed, we are committed to the Free Senior High School policy. We h
ave obviously identified some lapses in the implementation,’ he said.

The Minority Leader urged the NPP to act quickly and present the bill, emphasising that they would always support any legislation.

‘Our position is simple. The NDC minority will always support any legislation that will improve and sustain the Free Senior High School policy.

‘In the last few days, my colleague, the majority leader [Alexander Afenyo-Markin] is on record to have accused the NDC minority of not supporting the Free Senior High School bill. Let me put on record that there is no such bill before parliament. We are hearing from him for the first time that the government is considering a bill to be presented to parliament called the Free Senior High School Bill, ‘Dr Forsen told the Media.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Advancing Partnerships for Improved Learning (APIL) Activity has inaugurated an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facility at Fazehini in the Nanton District of the Northern Region to facilitate effective teaching and learning of ICT.

The facility, equipped with 21 laptop computers and accessories, and audiovisual literacy instruction materials, is to serve over 1,700 students in the district.

The computers and their accessories were donated by Intercom Programming and Manufacturing Company (IPMC), an information and technology company.

The USAID-APIL Activity also provided over 43,000 Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs), including English Language teacher guide, read-aloud compendiums, supplementary readers, students’ textbooks and workbooks, flash cards, and alphabet charts and cards.

The TLMs, worth over one million Ghana cedis, would be distributed to about 154 low-fee private schools in 13 districts in the Northern, North
East, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

Mr Rolf Olson, Deputy Chief of Missions, United States Embassy, speaking at a ceremony to inaugurate the facility at Fazehini, said USAID continued to invest in the country’s educational sector because it would help to transform the lives of the people.

The USAID-APIL Activity has so far supported more than 200 low-fee private schools to promote quality education for children in underserved communities in the northern part of the country.

Mr Olson emphasised that ‘For the communities, it promotes sustainable economic development, alleviates poverty, stimulates innovation, enhances institutional capacity and cultivates social unity.’

He said in the past year, USAID collaborated with the private sector, government and the leadership of schools to improve quality education, increase private sector investment, and ensure teachers received regular professional development, training and mentorship.

He called for more partnerships to increase access to equitable and qual
ity education for children as well as uplift communities and build a brighter future for generations to come.

Mr Gaurav Sharda, Managing Director, IPMC, said the company was prepared for more partnerships to make ICT learning accessible, especially to underserved communities and students.

Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister of Education, expressed gratitude to USAID and partners for the gesture, saying the support complemented government’s efforts at bridging the digital gap and ensuring quality education.

Hajia Katumi Natogmah Attah, Northern Regional Director of Education, said the support was a major step towards integrating technology into the educational system to ensure that learners were well equipped with essential skills to thrive.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Evans Asare, the Headmaster of Samuel Otu Presby Senior High School (SHS) at Techmantia in the Ahafo Region, has advocated the issuing Terminal Fee Bills to students to enhance appreciation for the Free (SHS) policy.

He made the proposal during an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the school’s 50th-anniversary celebration.

According to Mr Asare, the Free SHS policy is a remarkable legacy for Ghanaian parents and guardians adding that by issuing Terminal Fee Bills, parents could calculate the total cost of their wards’ three-year secondary education and appreciate the savings they have made.

Mr Asare believed that the approach would promote transparency and accountability in the education sector.

The initiative, if implemented, would not only help parents to appreciate the Free SHS policy but also encourage them to support the government’s efforts to provide quality education for all.

He urged political parties not to politicize education, which had been a very sensitive area of the econ
omy, but rather work diligently to sustain   such great developmental programs.

Mr Asare stressed that effective education held the keys to growth, development, and transformation of society.

He indicated that the free SHS policy was the best legacy any government could give to the people of the nation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Science and Mathematics Quiz Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Miami in the United States of America is making efforts to help promote excellence in science and mathematics at Fijai Senior High School near Sekondi in the Western Region.

The Organisation, through the benevolence of some Black Americans, have given the dollar equivalent of 48, 000 cedis to the Fijai school to spur greater laurels in the National Science and Mathematics Quiz (NSMQ).

The donation was made in collaboration with Global Vacation Doc Travel Agency.

The amount was mainly to argument the construction of a state-of-the-art Science laboratory, been undertaken in the school to help the school to do better in the annual NSMQ competition.

Mr Samuel Opoku and his wife, Dr. Kristy Opoku led the group from the USA, to visit historic sites across the country.

The Miami team made up of educationists, investors, businessmen and philanthropists, also distributed book bags to the students of the NSMQ team of Fijai SHS
and other first cycle schools.

The donors of the book bags included Ennis Health Care Solutions LLC,Arch Creek Senior Services and the Monfries and Brown Family.

The cash donors were made to Ennis Health Care Solutions LLC and Global Vacation Doc Travel Agency, Serena Bennett, Farrah, Shannon, Joan, Michaelle, Ismonde, Judith Crecelene, Carol and Lori.

The rest were Chandra, Danielle, Charlene, ?Kristy, Gwendolyn and Paulette.

The 56-member delegation spent a full day on Fijai campus, where they had a luncheon with the students and staff of the institution.

Speaking in an interview, Mr Samuel Opoku stated, ‘Through strategic support and donations, the Foundation empowers students and educational institutions, fostering a brighter future for the leaders of tomorrow.’

The event marks a pivotal moment for the Fijai NSMQ team and underscores the ongoing commitment of the NSMQ Foundation: Fijai Chapter to support educational excellence and foster academic growth.

He said, ‘Our involvement in the NSMQ contes
t is aimed at grooming students early and preparing them for future competitions,’

He continued ‘We remain committed to cultivating future scientists who will compete on the global stage.’

Mr Samuel Opoku, an old student of Fijai was hopeful that the laboratory would enhance the learning environment, provide students with the tools and resources they needed to excel in science and technology.

‘Additionally, the Foundation has granted its first full four-year scholarship to a promising former student of Fijai Senior High, currently studying BS Mining Engineering at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa’, he added.

He stressed that the scholarship was a testament to the Foundation’s dedication to empowering the next generation of engineers and leaders in mining.

The team also visited Christian Faith Preparatory School, a first cycle institution at Effiakuma near Takoradi where they distributed assorted items, including cash and book bags.

Mrs. Serena Bennett, a member of the US group, expr
essed the hope the contributions would positively impact the lives of the science students.

She said, ‘we also have poor people around us and some of us were the first to come out of that cycle and to change the narratives…our support is therefore giving back to humanity’.

Mrs. Bennett, a computer scientist, added that giving the students a level playing field to effectively compete mooted the ‘Aunties in the USA’ agenda to raise funds to support.

Mr. Kenneth Abomadze, Headmaster of the school, was grateful to the group for the donation and was hopeful that the act of charity would help advance the course of the students.

The team had earlier visited the redeveloped Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park which is dedicated to honouring the legacy of Ghana’s first president.

The Black American had a feel of the Elmina Castle, Independence Square; Black Star Square, the Freedom and Justice Arch and the Nationalism Park, Ekumfi Juice factory and farm, the Ancestral Slave River at Assin Manso and Kakum National Park, t
he Sakeva Transnational Cultural Festival by the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency