THE General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) has called on the government to link the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) with agricultural production.
It said by so doing, “agriculture can be used to promote the GSFP, as it would stimulate agricultural growth and industrial development in the country”.
The General Secretary of GAWU, Mr Kingsley Ofei Nkansah, made the call in Wa, in the Upper West Region, at the launch of the 50th anniversary celebration of the union.
He stated that agriculture was the future of the country and must, therefore, be supported with the necessary equipment to enhance its production, adding “we will be deceiving ourselves if we think of export growth without industrialisation”.
Mr Nkansah urged the government to continue to support production of local rice to protect the industry from undue competition from multinational companies which imported cheap rice into the country.
He observed that although attempts were being made to promote rice, it was not enough as it was being done to the detriment of locally produced rice.
“We want our research into building on local rice promotion and production, but not those that support foreign ones”, Mr Nkansah said.
He stated that since May, this year, the union had supported 50 agricultural communities in the promotion of post-harvest management through the support of the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
He gave assurance that the union would continue to promote the interest of its members, since it was the largest union within the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) and had the largest constituency.
Mr Nkansah said although the union was non-partisan, it would not allow the rights of Ghanaians to be trampled upon as it would not hesitate to call governments to order.
“The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) should know that GAWU is older than them and represents a constituency with a number of organised people”, he added.
A research scientist at the Savannah Research Institute in Wa, Dr J.B. Naab, stressed the need for farmers to adopt scientific methods in their farming activities.
He noted with regret that in this era of world technological advancement, farmers continued to use archaic methods in farming.
The Regional Secretary of TUC, Mr Adams Sandu, commended GAWU for its achievements, particularly for producing a number of personalities to the hierarchy of the TUC.
Monday, October 12, 2009
399 CANDIDATES IN SISSALA WEST FAIL IN BECE (PAGE 20, OCT 9)
THREE hundred and ninety-two, out of a total of 676 candidates from the Sissala West District who wrote this year’s Basic Examination Certificate Examination (BECE), failed.
The failures comprised 224 females and 175 males.
The Sissala West District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Robert Wavei, who disclosed this to the Daily
Graphic, expressed concern about the trend, and said even though the results were generally bad, the picture looked very gloomy for the district.
“Coupled with the abysmal performance in the BECE, representing 41.52 per cent failures, as many as 119 schoolgirls also became pregnant between January and August, this year,” the DCE added.
Addressing the second ordinary meeting of the Sissala West District at Gwolu, Mr Wavei took a special view at the BECE results and called on all stakeholders, including parents, to come on board to improve the situation.
He said if the trend continued, then the district had no future.
The DCE, therefore, outlined a number of measures the assembly was initiating to motivate stakeholders of education in the district.
They included institution of a best teacher award, an award for the school with the best BECE results as well as an award for best students in the respective subjects, among others.
On the number of teenage pregnancies, Mr Wavei linked the situation to the number of dropouts from the BECE and challenged health personnel in the area to step up their campaign on family planning.
He said the number of malnourished children, which stood at 52, from January to August, this year, was also not the best for the growth of children in the area.
As part of measures to improve the anomalies in the health sector which have been dubbed “Operation save a life”, Mr Wavei directed all heads of departments to respond to calls by health workers to release their vehicles to transport patients from one health facility to the other.
He said the district assembly would reserve fuel for that purpose and, therefore, any departmental head who flouted the directive would be sanctioned.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, who graced the occasion, appealed to parents to be conscious of the eating habits of their wards as a first step towards reducing malnutrition.
He also urged the assembly to put to good use the district development fund of GH¢361,575.51 Ghana allotted to it, stressing, “You must also institute stringent measures to block the loopholes through which the assembly’s revenue leaked”.
The failures comprised 224 females and 175 males.
The Sissala West District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Robert Wavei, who disclosed this to the Daily
Graphic, expressed concern about the trend, and said even though the results were generally bad, the picture looked very gloomy for the district.
“Coupled with the abysmal performance in the BECE, representing 41.52 per cent failures, as many as 119 schoolgirls also became pregnant between January and August, this year,” the DCE added.
Addressing the second ordinary meeting of the Sissala West District at Gwolu, Mr Wavei took a special view at the BECE results and called on all stakeholders, including parents, to come on board to improve the situation.
He said if the trend continued, then the district had no future.
The DCE, therefore, outlined a number of measures the assembly was initiating to motivate stakeholders of education in the district.
They included institution of a best teacher award, an award for the school with the best BECE results as well as an award for best students in the respective subjects, among others.
On the number of teenage pregnancies, Mr Wavei linked the situation to the number of dropouts from the BECE and challenged health personnel in the area to step up their campaign on family planning.
He said the number of malnourished children, which stood at 52, from January to August, this year, was also not the best for the growth of children in the area.
As part of measures to improve the anomalies in the health sector which have been dubbed “Operation save a life”, Mr Wavei directed all heads of departments to respond to calls by health workers to release their vehicles to transport patients from one health facility to the other.
He said the district assembly would reserve fuel for that purpose and, therefore, any departmental head who flouted the directive would be sanctioned.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, who graced the occasion, appealed to parents to be conscious of the eating habits of their wards as a first step towards reducing malnutrition.
He also urged the assembly to put to good use the district development fund of GH¢361,575.51 Ghana allotted to it, stressing, “You must also institute stringent measures to block the loopholes through which the assembly’s revenue leaked”.
FATE OF 657 GRADUATE TEACHERS IN THE BALANCE (PAGE 20, OCT 9)
FIVE hundred and sixty-seven professional graduate teachers who completed their studies last academic year and have fully submitted their posting forms to the Ghana Education Service (GES) have still not been posted to any educational institution.
The reason is that their names were deleted from the pay roll when their salaries ceased, because they went to school without study leave and can, therefore, not be posted to any school.
The National Vice-President of the of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Miss Portia Anafo, disclosed this at the third Upper West Regional conference of the association in Wa.
The conference was on the theme: ”Professional and socio-economic challenges of the teacher in the face of globalisation. “the way forward”.
Miss Anafo, therefore, called on the GES and the government to, as a matter of urgency, review the policy and tap the full capacity of those teachers for the sake of the country.
She added that there were shortages in the areas of the Sciences and English Language, which must be addressed.
“If we are very serious with education matters in this country, the quota system that regulates study leave for teachers will not include these specialised subjects areas”, Miss Anafo stressed.
She was of the view that the present quota system, as it operated, continued to render efforts for quality education useless, and as such “GNAT is calling on the government and for that matter the GES to find ingenious ways of attracting teachers to study in these areas”.
The GNAT vice-president noted with regret that the responsibility allowance paid to deserving teachers continued to be very low, and expressed hope that a second look would be taken at the issue.
On the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), Miss Anafo viewed it as the most transparent effort to remove members of the association from perpetual discrimination that had characterised many pay regimes in the country.
“We, therefore, call on the government to keep to its part of the bargain and follow the road map for the SSSS implementation in January 2010 to forestall any future labour unrest in the country,” she said
Miss Anafo admonished members of GNAT not to allow political persuasion to divide them .
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, for his part, described the role of teachers as challenging, which required continuous skills to upgrade themselves to meet the requisite manpower demanded of the fast changing, technologically inclined and knowledge–based economy.
He stated that the government would from next year grant a special rural allowance of an additional 20 per cent of salaries to teachers who accepted postings to deprived areas.
The Dean of the Faculty of Integrated Development Studies of the Wa Campus of the University for Development Studies, Professor Abraham Berinyuu, said the university would from next academic year, come out with programmes in education, and urged teachers to avail themselves of the opportunity.
The reason is that their names were deleted from the pay roll when their salaries ceased, because they went to school without study leave and can, therefore, not be posted to any school.
The National Vice-President of the of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Miss Portia Anafo, disclosed this at the third Upper West Regional conference of the association in Wa.
The conference was on the theme: ”Professional and socio-economic challenges of the teacher in the face of globalisation. “the way forward”.
Miss Anafo, therefore, called on the GES and the government to, as a matter of urgency, review the policy and tap the full capacity of those teachers for the sake of the country.
She added that there were shortages in the areas of the Sciences and English Language, which must be addressed.
“If we are very serious with education matters in this country, the quota system that regulates study leave for teachers will not include these specialised subjects areas”, Miss Anafo stressed.
She was of the view that the present quota system, as it operated, continued to render efforts for quality education useless, and as such “GNAT is calling on the government and for that matter the GES to find ingenious ways of attracting teachers to study in these areas”.
The GNAT vice-president noted with regret that the responsibility allowance paid to deserving teachers continued to be very low, and expressed hope that a second look would be taken at the issue.
On the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), Miss Anafo viewed it as the most transparent effort to remove members of the association from perpetual discrimination that had characterised many pay regimes in the country.
“We, therefore, call on the government to keep to its part of the bargain and follow the road map for the SSSS implementation in January 2010 to forestall any future labour unrest in the country,” she said
Miss Anafo admonished members of GNAT not to allow political persuasion to divide them .
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, for his part, described the role of teachers as challenging, which required continuous skills to upgrade themselves to meet the requisite manpower demanded of the fast changing, technologically inclined and knowledge–based economy.
He stated that the government would from next year grant a special rural allowance of an additional 20 per cent of salaries to teachers who accepted postings to deprived areas.
The Dean of the Faculty of Integrated Development Studies of the Wa Campus of the University for Development Studies, Professor Abraham Berinyuu, said the university would from next academic year, come out with programmes in education, and urged teachers to avail themselves of the opportunity.
FUEL RETAILING SPRINGS UP IN WA (OCT 9, PAGE 20)
WAYSIDE fuel retailing is the new craze in the Wa municipality. People are seen in every nook and cranny of this town, especially at major junctions retailing fuel in small denominations with the lowest being GH¢1.
Most often, the fuel retailers are seen eagerly seated by big drums which are full of fuel with various container measurements and funnels lying by their sides.
The modus operandi of these dealers is that, they go to the petrol filling stations to buy large quantities of fuel into drums, after which they transport them to the various destinations to sell.
In some cases, the fuel is hoarded and during crisis such as the recent fuel shortage which hit parts of the country, then they go into full business by selling it at exorbitant price.
One gallon of petrol, which is sold at the filling stations for GH¢5, is sold at GH¢6 and motorists have no option than to purchase it to facilitate their movement.
Information gathered by the Daily Graphic revealed that the increase in the activities of the fuel retailers was as a result of the increase in the population of students of the Wa Campus of the University for Development Studies and the Wa Polytechnic.
People are seen in all arterial roads leading to various lecture halls of the two institutions, especially the UDS, engaged in brisk business.
Currently, the number of motorbikes has increased by over 50 per cent. According to the petrol dealers, their targets are mainly the students, who find it difficult to buy one gallon fuel.
Areas where these fuel retailers are mostly found include Konta–Lawmas Junction, Konta–Bamahu, between Upland Hotel Junction and Wa Polytechnic, among others.
Unlike some parts of the country where the business was done by Malians and Nigerians, it was the opposite in Wa, where the indigenous are the main characters.
Musah Salim, a fuel retailer, described the business as good, but declined to comment further.
Although the activities of these dealers have brought some respite to motor cyclists, it is also very dangerous as the fuel could easily lead to disaster, especially when it gets contact with inflammable items.
One does not know how these people transact their businesses. For example, nobody could tell whether they have acquired permits to operate that business.
The Ghana National Fire Service must endeavour to monitor the activities of these petrol dealers, who most often, transport the unsold fuel to various parts of the municipality after the day’s work to avoid calamities. A stitch in time saves nine, says the old adage.
Most often, the fuel retailers are seen eagerly seated by big drums which are full of fuel with various container measurements and funnels lying by their sides.
The modus operandi of these dealers is that, they go to the petrol filling stations to buy large quantities of fuel into drums, after which they transport them to the various destinations to sell.
In some cases, the fuel is hoarded and during crisis such as the recent fuel shortage which hit parts of the country, then they go into full business by selling it at exorbitant price.
One gallon of petrol, which is sold at the filling stations for GH¢5, is sold at GH¢6 and motorists have no option than to purchase it to facilitate their movement.
Information gathered by the Daily Graphic revealed that the increase in the activities of the fuel retailers was as a result of the increase in the population of students of the Wa Campus of the University for Development Studies and the Wa Polytechnic.
People are seen in all arterial roads leading to various lecture halls of the two institutions, especially the UDS, engaged in brisk business.
Currently, the number of motorbikes has increased by over 50 per cent. According to the petrol dealers, their targets are mainly the students, who find it difficult to buy one gallon fuel.
Areas where these fuel retailers are mostly found include Konta–Lawmas Junction, Konta–Bamahu, between Upland Hotel Junction and Wa Polytechnic, among others.
Unlike some parts of the country where the business was done by Malians and Nigerians, it was the opposite in Wa, where the indigenous are the main characters.
Musah Salim, a fuel retailer, described the business as good, but declined to comment further.
Although the activities of these dealers have brought some respite to motor cyclists, it is also very dangerous as the fuel could easily lead to disaster, especially when it gets contact with inflammable items.
One does not know how these people transact their businesses. For example, nobody could tell whether they have acquired permits to operate that business.
The Ghana National Fire Service must endeavour to monitor the activities of these petrol dealers, who most often, transport the unsold fuel to various parts of the municipality after the day’s work to avoid calamities. A stitch in time saves nine, says the old adage.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
FUNSI TO GET ELECTRICITY (MIRROR, SEPT 26, PAGE 19)
From George Folly, Funsi
Work to connect Funsi, capital of the Wa East District in the Upper West Region, to the national electricity grid has begun with the erection of electric poles from Funsi and Wahabu to Wellembelle.
Talking to The Mirror at Funsi, the District Chief Executive, Mr Ameen Salifu, expressed the hope that the project would be completed by the end of the year.
“ The only gift we can give to our people during Christmas is to ensure that electricity reaches their door-steps” he added
He said plans were far advanced to establish the first senior high school in the district, which is expected to begin next year.
According to him, the GETFund has given approval for the school’s structures, which include a dining hall, administration block, assembly hall, four teachers bungalows and a hostel.
“ In addition to this, the district assembly through it’s Common Fund will also put up another hostel to augment the one to be provided by the GETFund”, Mr Salifu said.
The DCE stressed the need for improvement in the educational facilities in the district in order to catch up with other places in the region.
He said being one of the newly created ones, the district would need the efforts of all to tackle the numerous challenges facing the assembly.
Mr Ameen, therefore, deplored the attitude of some assemblymen whose avowed aim was to derail the efforts being made to develop the area and called on the people to be steadfast and not allow themselves to be divided along partisan political lines.
Work to connect Funsi, capital of the Wa East District in the Upper West Region, to the national electricity grid has begun with the erection of electric poles from Funsi and Wahabu to Wellembelle.
Talking to The Mirror at Funsi, the District Chief Executive, Mr Ameen Salifu, expressed the hope that the project would be completed by the end of the year.
“ The only gift we can give to our people during Christmas is to ensure that electricity reaches their door-steps” he added
He said plans were far advanced to establish the first senior high school in the district, which is expected to begin next year.
According to him, the GETFund has given approval for the school’s structures, which include a dining hall, administration block, assembly hall, four teachers bungalows and a hostel.
“ In addition to this, the district assembly through it’s Common Fund will also put up another hostel to augment the one to be provided by the GETFund”, Mr Salifu said.
The DCE stressed the need for improvement in the educational facilities in the district in order to catch up with other places in the region.
He said being one of the newly created ones, the district would need the efforts of all to tackle the numerous challenges facing the assembly.
Mr Ameen, therefore, deplored the attitude of some assemblymen whose avowed aim was to derail the efforts being made to develop the area and called on the people to be steadfast and not allow themselves to be divided along partisan political lines.
1,000 FARMERS UNDERGO CAPACITY BUILDING EXERCISE (SEPT 25, PAGE 21)
MORE than 1,000 farmers from 15 communities in the Lawra District in the Upper West region have benefited from a capacity building exercise aimed at improving the livelihood and security of small holder farmers in the district.
Care International, a non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with the Nandom Agricultural Project, organised the programme dubbed: “Conservation Agricultural Project (CAP)”.
Care International and Nandom Agricultural Project have since June, 2007 been mobilising farmers in the Lawra District. Their activities have basically centred on livestock projection and crop production improvements, as well as women development.
Farmers are mobilised based on participatory technology development approaches, which are expected to increase crop yield and production of targeted communities through improved soil conservation and natural resource management practices.
At Walateng, the farmers demonstrated how degraded land had been reclaimed for agricultural purposes through a technique called the "half moon and zia" method. This innovation, adopted from neighbouring Burkina Faso, has been used to reclaim an entirely degraded land for food production.
In an address, the Project Manager, Mr Stan Nasaal, appealed to the farmers to put into practice what they had learnt under the project in order to solve the problem of food shortage.
He stated that there was nothing such as degraded and barren land, if the right techniques were used.
At Ketuo, the farmers field school (FFS) was organised for more than 30 farmers.
The FFS is a school without walls for the farmers, where they are taught nutrient management and practice of land tillage.
The knowledge acquired from the demonstration farms under the school would be applied on the various farms.
Throwing more light on the CAP, the Project Manager Mr Yabepone Cyril, said they had been liaising with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to solve the problem of low staffing in their agricultural extension services.
The District Chief Executive for Lawra, Mr Sampson Abu, thanked the organisers and donors of the project and pledged his administration’s commitment to working with the them to raise the living standards of farmers to an appreciable level.
Care International, a non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with the Nandom Agricultural Project, organised the programme dubbed: “Conservation Agricultural Project (CAP)”.
Care International and Nandom Agricultural Project have since June, 2007 been mobilising farmers in the Lawra District. Their activities have basically centred on livestock projection and crop production improvements, as well as women development.
Farmers are mobilised based on participatory technology development approaches, which are expected to increase crop yield and production of targeted communities through improved soil conservation and natural resource management practices.
At Walateng, the farmers demonstrated how degraded land had been reclaimed for agricultural purposes through a technique called the "half moon and zia" method. This innovation, adopted from neighbouring Burkina Faso, has been used to reclaim an entirely degraded land for food production.
In an address, the Project Manager, Mr Stan Nasaal, appealed to the farmers to put into practice what they had learnt under the project in order to solve the problem of food shortage.
He stated that there was nothing such as degraded and barren land, if the right techniques were used.
At Ketuo, the farmers field school (FFS) was organised for more than 30 farmers.
The FFS is a school without walls for the farmers, where they are taught nutrient management and practice of land tillage.
The knowledge acquired from the demonstration farms under the school would be applied on the various farms.
Throwing more light on the CAP, the Project Manager Mr Yabepone Cyril, said they had been liaising with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to solve the problem of low staffing in their agricultural extension services.
The District Chief Executive for Lawra, Mr Sampson Abu, thanked the organisers and donors of the project and pledged his administration’s commitment to working with the them to raise the living standards of farmers to an appreciable level.
REVIEW EMBARGO ON EMPLOYMENT (SEPT 21, PAGE 45)
THE Rector of the Wa Polytechnic in the Upper West Region, Professor Sampson Agodzo, has appealed to the Government to review the embargo on employment.
That, he said, would make it possible for infant institutions like the Wa Polytechnic to consolidate their existing programmes and expand into new areas.
According to him, in 2008 and this year, an embargo was placed on the hiring of new staff by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning with a view to managing the country’s public sector wages.
“Apart from putting severe strains on the running of most programmes because of teaching staff, it has become practically impossible to start new programmes because of this embargo,” he said.
Professor Agodzo was speaking at the first congregation of the Wa Polytechnic in Wa on Saturday.
In all, 150 students passed out and were awarded Higher National Diplomas (HND). Mr Clement Angbataayele was the only first-class student.
The polytechnic, which was established 10 years ago, currently runs eight programmes. They are Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Information, Communication Technology (ICT)
The rest are Building Technology, Estate Management, Accountancy, Secretaryship and Management Studies.
“We are in the process of mounting two new programmes in Dispensing Technology and Industrial Art and hope that these new programmes will commence in the 2010/2011 academic year,” the Wa Polytechnic rector said.
Professor Agodzo noted that polytechnics in the country were not producing inferior versions of university graduates but rather providing alternative opportunities for people who wanted to develop a career at the highest academic and professional level.
He said that, therefore, meant that the teaching staff must also be trained differently to produce the right human capital for industrial development.
Professor Agodzo was happy that Wa Poly had some of the best structures in the country, but expressed regret that they were difficult to be equipped and furnished.
He said the polytechnic lacked laboratory and workshop equipment for some of the science and technology programmes and, therefore, appealed to the Government for support.
He paid glowing tribute to all those who had assisted in the development of the polytechnic, particularly Mr Abraham Aidoo, who laid the foundation for the polytechnic project.
He advised the graduates to be job creators instead of job seekers.
The Chairman of the Wa Polytechnic Council, Professor Jacob Songsore, appealed to the President to intervene to ensure the payment of compensation to the landowners who gave out their land for the establishment of the polytechnic.
He said despite the various challenges, the polytechnic was striving hard to become a centre of excellence.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, gave the assurance that the Government would continue to support polytechnic education in the country and commended the polytechnic for its academic excellence and the good job done in the Upper West Region.
Mr Clement Angbataayele, the only graduand with first-class honours, being congratulated by the dignitaries on the dais. With them include a member of the Council of State, Naa Seidu Braima (in smock), and the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid ( 2nd left).
That, he said, would make it possible for infant institutions like the Wa Polytechnic to consolidate their existing programmes and expand into new areas.
According to him, in 2008 and this year, an embargo was placed on the hiring of new staff by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning with a view to managing the country’s public sector wages.
“Apart from putting severe strains on the running of most programmes because of teaching staff, it has become practically impossible to start new programmes because of this embargo,” he said.
Professor Agodzo was speaking at the first congregation of the Wa Polytechnic in Wa on Saturday.
In all, 150 students passed out and were awarded Higher National Diplomas (HND). Mr Clement Angbataayele was the only first-class student.
The polytechnic, which was established 10 years ago, currently runs eight programmes. They are Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Information, Communication Technology (ICT)
The rest are Building Technology, Estate Management, Accountancy, Secretaryship and Management Studies.
“We are in the process of mounting two new programmes in Dispensing Technology and Industrial Art and hope that these new programmes will commence in the 2010/2011 academic year,” the Wa Polytechnic rector said.
Professor Agodzo noted that polytechnics in the country were not producing inferior versions of university graduates but rather providing alternative opportunities for people who wanted to develop a career at the highest academic and professional level.
He said that, therefore, meant that the teaching staff must also be trained differently to produce the right human capital for industrial development.
Professor Agodzo was happy that Wa Poly had some of the best structures in the country, but expressed regret that they were difficult to be equipped and furnished.
He said the polytechnic lacked laboratory and workshop equipment for some of the science and technology programmes and, therefore, appealed to the Government for support.
He paid glowing tribute to all those who had assisted in the development of the polytechnic, particularly Mr Abraham Aidoo, who laid the foundation for the polytechnic project.
He advised the graduates to be job creators instead of job seekers.
The Chairman of the Wa Polytechnic Council, Professor Jacob Songsore, appealed to the President to intervene to ensure the payment of compensation to the landowners who gave out their land for the establishment of the polytechnic.
He said despite the various challenges, the polytechnic was striving hard to become a centre of excellence.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, gave the assurance that the Government would continue to support polytechnic education in the country and commended the polytechnic for its academic excellence and the good job done in the Upper West Region.
Mr Clement Angbataayele, the only graduand with first-class honours, being congratulated by the dignitaries on the dais. With them include a member of the Council of State, Naa Seidu Braima (in smock), and the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid ( 2nd left).
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