Expedite passage of the colleges of education bill - Ndago(15 December,2011 By Benjamin Xornam Glover)

The Chairman of the Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education, Mr Alfred Ndago, has appealed to the government to expedite the passage of the Colleges of Education Bill into law.

He said the passage of the bill into law would give a clear direction to the management of the various teacher training colleges in the country.

“The transition of colleges of education to the tertiary sector can be described as frustrating, uncertain and disconnect between what we know about tertiary status and the realities on the ground. Stakeholders have failed to keep deadlines of the roadmap and played politics around the issues”, he said.

Mr Ndago, who is also the Principal of the St John Bosco's College of Education, made the appeal at the second congregation of the college at Navrongo and said the bill of the colleges of education was expected to be passed before the end of 2011 but three weeks to the end of the year, nothing concrete was said or done about it.

“Instead, feverish preparations are being made to fast track the passage of the Bill establishing the two new universities in the Brong Ahafo and Volta Region. Meanwhile, lecturers in the colleges of education have been debarred from the best teacher awards for the past two years, they have suffered promotion discrimination, low salaries and have their backs being broken from extra duty activities,” he said.

He said the five semester programme for the colleges designed and approved for implementation to ensure that trainees content knowledge base was strengthened had remained on the shelves for the past two years because the government had not been able to find the needed funds to quickly provide the infrastructural needs of each college to accommodate level 300 trainees in the fifth semester.

“What should engage government is to reposition the colleges of education to serve as efficient, effective and progressive centres of teaching and learning. Real education change will not come about by doing more of the same things that have been tried before in the form of refining what already exists but ensuring qualitative difference in how we think about what we do”, he said.

He said 500 graduates made up of those who completed in 2009/10 and 2010 /11 academic year had satisfied all the requirements for the award of diploma in Basic Education with nine and 21 students obtaining second class upper respectively.

He said results of the final year trainees had improved since 2007 when the college became a tertiary institution, stressing that, for instance, in 2007, only one candidate had a second class upper, which rose to four in 2009, nine in 2010 and 21 in 2011.

The Chairman of the Governing Council of the College, Most Reverend Alfred Agenta, bemoaned the recent poor performances of BECE students in the region and challenged the newly qualified teachers to help provide quality education for the disadvantaged in the deprived areas of the country.

“You are to illuminate our villages, communities and the nation at large with the light, that is the knowledge and wisdom that you have acquired from the institution. Always remember that as an education professional, you are to fire the imagination of your students and those you come into contact with”, said the Most Rev. Agenta who is also the Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese of the Catholic Church.

The Executive Secretary of the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), Professor Mahama Duwiejuah, gave the assurance he would ensure that the necessary attention was given to the Bill in order for it to be passed into law adding that in the meantime, all the issues of salaries of tutors of colleges of education, as well as allowances of students had been transferred to the NCTE, while various committees had been put in place to ensure effective transition of the colleges onto fully-fledged tertiary institutions.

Prof. Duwiejuah said the teachers had chosen the right profession and it was up to them to prove their worth. He also underscored the need for discipline in all spheres of life by the trainees as they embarked on their professional carrier as teachers.

Keen contest for NDC Bongo seat(7th December 2011 by Benjamin Xornam Glover)

The Upper East Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Donatus Atanga Akamugri, has launched his bid to contest the slot of Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bongo Constituency in next year's general election.

The entry of Mr Akamugri into the race brings to four the number of persons who have so far expressed interest in the seat, including the incumbent, Mr Albert Abongo.

The other two persons in the race, according to the constituency secretary, Mr Paul Agambire, are Mr Charles Bawa Dua and Mr Edward A. Bawa.

Launching his campaign at Bongo, Mr Akamugri, who is also the regional coordinator of the School Feeding Programme, said he was hopeful that his dedication and hard work at the constituency and regional levels put him ahead of his contenders in the race for the seat.

In 1998, Mr Akamugri rose to the position of Regional Secretary and has since retained the position and prior to that he served as the Bongo Constituency Youth Organiser.

Addressing members of the party at Bongo, Mr Akamugri said with the experience garnered in his political carrier coupled with the strong commitment to the party he was better placed to succeed the current MP and continue with the development agenda of the area.

“I, like many people in this constituency, believe that the current MP, who has served three terms in parliament already, has done his part in contributing to the development of Bongo. By the tenets of the principles of democracy well cherished in the NDC, it is time for change and renewal”, he said.

“It is time to bring on board new ideas and new ways of doing things. It is time to explore new avenues for this constituency's development. It is time to hand leadership of this constituency to a fresh hand to take us even further. It is time to offer myself for this new beginning we are asking for”, he added.

According to Akamugri, the district faced many development challenges, including poor road network that leaves most communities cut off from others, insufficient market centres, inadequate health and educational facilities as well as limited access to water and sanitation facilities, stressing that when given the nod he would explore new ways of providing such social amenities for the people.

“I am committed to that model of development where an MP does not give his people stipends to survive, but rather seeks ways to empower them to create great sources of income for their own care and well being”, he said.

Defeated NDC Aspirant To Contest Binduri Seat(5th December 2011 by Benjamin Xornam Glover)

One of the defeated candidates in the Binduri constituency primaries of the National Democratic Congress, Mr Stephen Atubiga, has announced his intention to contest the 2012 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate.

Mr Atubiga, one of the five to have contested the primaries, lost the contest with a difference of two votes to the eventual winner, Mr Ben Noah Azure.

He said his decision to go independent stemmed from what he described as some under-hand dealings by some individuals, namely the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mrs Lucy Awuni and her husband, Mr Mark Anthony Awuni, a former MP for the area, who he alleged manipulated the process and that robbed him of the chance to represent his people in parliament.

However, the Deputy Regional Minister, Mrs Lucy Awuni, has denied the allegations, stressing that she does not work with the Electoral Commission. She said per the party’s constitution, she and her husband, a former MP, were mandated to vote and that was all they did at the primaries. “Like any of the delegate, I am entitled to one vote and I exercised it on the day of the election,” she said.

“My husband has gone to the primaries four times and only succeeded on one occasion. These are the traumas that come with election defeat. So if he (Atubiga) is traumatised, he should go seek for help somewhere else and desist from soiling my name,” she advised.

Mr Atubiga claimed his decision was supported by the constituency executive who had appended their signature to a document backing his independent candidature aspiration.

He named Messrs Paul Aiden, Moses Nti, Thomas Ndago, Alex Aweliga, Majeed Ayendago. Robert Ayaaba, James Asidiwaya and Seidu Musah, constituency secretary, organiser, treasurer, propaganda secretary, youth organiser and deputy youth organiser, deputy organiser and vice chairman, respectively, as those who support him. Others are Madam Margaret Abindaw, the
Constituency Women’s organiser and Mary Adam, the Deputy Women’s Organiser.

The announcement comes at the heels of a directive issued by the General Secretary of the ruling NDC, Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, that any party member interested in going independent during the 2012 parliamentary and presidential elections should count him or herself out of the NDC.

The disgruntled member who returned from the United States of America to contest the polls said his stance was motivated by the numerous appeals made to him by his constituents who saw him as a viable candidate to wrest the seat from the incumbent NPP candidate, Mr Stephen Yakubu.

He said apart from rejuvenating the party in the constituency, he had managed to woo members of the party who defected to other parties to return to the NDC. Again, he had opened a bank account for the party and this had endeared him to the ordinary person in the party.

He described the candidate elect as not marketable and a non-winnable person, hence the need to go as an independent candidate to fulfil the desires of the people who saw him as a viable candidate capable of wresting the seat from the NPP. He, however, insisted that he would canvass for votes for the NDC presidential candidate, President John Atta Mills.

When he was reminded of the warning by the party’s general secretary on the issue of independent candidates, he said, “the party needs us to win elections than we need them. Yes, we respect rules and regulation but sometimes we have to take a stand to prove our point.”

Mr Atubiga also called for the immediate removal of the deputy regional minister from office for failing “to bring development to the constituency where she hails from” but the Mrs Awuni refuted the claimed, stressing that her mandate as deputy regional minister stretched across the region and was not limited to the Binduri area. “Since coming into this office, I have helped a lot of people all over the region,” she maintained.

Water Treatment Plant For Tono (5th December 2011 by Benjamin Xornam Glover)

The government has secured a 40-million euro loan for the construction of a water treatment plant at Tono in the Kassena-Nankana East District to serve the people of Bolgatanga, Navrongo and Paga.

This is meant to increase water coverage significantly in the bid to meet the millennium development goal for water and sanitation.
It will complement the Vea water treatment plant, which is currently under expansion with a $5-million loan.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, announced this at a regional meet-the-press series organised by the Ministry of Information at Bolgatanga.

Mr Woyongo said the government was seeking to increase coverage of sustainable potable water supply to 76 per cent by 2015 through increasing investment funding in the region.

He said the government was dedicated to making funds available for the region to re-test the fluoride levels in all capped boreholes and as well improve logistical support for effective monitoring.

Mr Woyongo said although water coverage in the region was about 69.14 per cent, which was comparatively better than what obtains in other regions, the dispersed settlement pattern of the region had led to some people commuting more than one kilometre to fetch potable water.

He, however, enumerated some steps being taken to address the situation, including the completion of five small town water supply systems with eight others near completion levels.

In addition, 200 boreholes had been awarded on contract for drilling with procurement process for drilling of additional 591 boreholes being ongoing.

Touching on other development projects in the region over the past three years, Mr Woyongo mentioned the construction of six steel bridges valued at GH¢4,039,130.60 with about 580.93 kilometres of roads being reshaped at a cost GH¢1,869.756.34.

The regional minister said GH¢10,152.707.82 went into spot improvement and minor rehabilitation works on 191.03 kilometres of roads and surfacing of a 44.0 kilometres of feeder roads.

He said 14.5 kilometres of highway projects had been awarded for upgrading while there was bitumen surfacing of 75 kilometres of roads at a cost of GH¢3,238.925.95.

He said sealing and resealing of the Bolgatanga town roads had been completed, adding that the Bolgatanga-Bawku road through to Pusiga Junction, the Bolgatanga-Bongo road , the Winkongo-Tongo and Sandema-Wiesi roads had been prioritised for 2012.

The regional minister said works on the Nakong-Tumu road had also commenced.

Concerning education, he said the region suffered deficits in the areas of infrastructure which was aggravated by rainstorms that affected most schools and that the government had embarked on the provision of more education infrastructural facilities to improve the situation.

He said at the second cycle institution level alone, over 100 projects, comprising dormitories, classroom blocks and auditoriums, had been built, adding that over 180 schools under trees had been replaced with classroom blocks and rural and urban area schools that hitherto ran the shift system had been removed.

Mr Woyongo said 2,150,000 free exercise books, 33,353 free school uniforms, increase in the capitation grant and provision of 150 laptops to ten basic schools were evidences of the commitment of the government to improve the educational sector.

The regional minister said five agriculture mechanisation service centres had been established with 25 tractors, five each for each centre.

To improve threshing and post-harvest quality grain, Mr Woyongo said the region had taken delivery of multi-grain threshers for sale to farmers while five combine harvesters had been received for sale to farmers.

The regional minister said 20 dams in various communities were being rehabilitated to support dry season irrigation, livestock and domestic use, adding that the government had provided funds for the payment of the contractor rehabilitating the Tono Irrigation project.

The Minister for Information, Mr. John Tia Akologu, explained the rationale for the regional meet-the-press series, stressing that it would provide the citizenry information on the achievement of the government.

Mr Akologu, who is also the MP for Talensi, called on the media to use the platform to promote healthy debates that would focus on developments around them.

He also reiterated the need for peace as the nation prepared for general election

Delay In Funds Reimbursement Affecting NHIS(4th December 2011 by Benjamin Xornam Glover)

Persistent delays in the reimbursement of funds by the National Health Insurance Authorities have been identified as one of the major challenges facing health services delivery in the Upper East Region.

The Upper East Regional Director, Dr John Koku Awoonor-Williams, disclosed this in Bolgatanga during the inauguration of a 10-member board of directors of the Presbyterian Health Services.

The board, which is under the chairmanship of Rev. Esmund W. Nagba, will handle all health activities of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in its health institutions in the in the Northern and Upper presbyteries of the church.

Speaking at the function, the regional director of health services bemoaned the delayed reimbursement of funds by the National Health Insurance Authority, emphasising that due to delays, the regional medical store was almost depleted by 50 per cent.

This was because the regional medical stores owed suppliers over GH¢3 million. “If you run a private business and you owe GH¢3 million, you are in for bankruptcy. That is why we are very worried that are we going to meet our drug availability which we have always had at 95 per cent. If we do not take proactive steps, we will be heading for trouble,” he said.

“As I speak to you now, the last payment by the National Health Insurance Authority to facilities was as far back as June. These are the kind of challenges facing health service delivery in the region,” he added.

Dr Awoonor-Williams commended the Presbyterian health service for administering health services in the Upper East Region.

He congratulated the management on the col1aboration between the mission establishment and the Ghana Health Service.

Dr Awoonor-Williams gave an assurance that the Ghana Health Service was not in competition with other health services, particularly the mission institutions, but rather saw them as partners complementing each other in rendering services to the people.

Inaugurating the board on behalf of the clerk of the General Assembly Council of the church, Rev. Martin Nabor said the church was a key player in the health sector of the country, adding that the church’s health institutions have been providing curative, preventive and promotive services for clients within its operational areas, which are mainly rural.

He added that the Presbyterian Church was currently the third largest single provider of health services in the country, after the Catholic Church and the Ghana Health Services.

Dr Awoonor-Williams, therefore, tasked the new board members to commit themselves to set objectives which would be translated into effective operation and improve service delivery.

Rev. Nabor also urged the new board to effectively plan the creation of new health institutions in their respective areas of operations and determine and plan for the acquisition and accountability of resources.

He also admonished the new board to appoint, promote and ensure discipline of staff to enhance client satisfaction.

Rev. Nabor acknowledged the difficult tasked that lay ahead of the board, especially at a time when the health institutions were facing many challenges such as inadequate number of professional staff, lack of logistics such as vehicles and basic equipment for service delivery.

“The biggest challenge the church is grappling with is the increasing demand for health services by rural communities in the face of dwindling partner support. Time and again, our partners have drawn our attention to their inability to access more funds for our health and HIV/AIDS programmes. The alarm bells are sounding louder of late and it is about time the church identified new sources in this endeavour,” Rev. Nabor said.

The Board Chairman, Rev. Esmund W. Nagba, on behalf of his colleague board members, commended the Moderator and the General Assembly Council for nominating them to serve on the board and pledged to work hard and faithfully to uphold the very core values on which the church was established.

He said the church had always upheld discipline and the board would promote discipline and professionalism among staff in all Presbyterian health facilities to promote effective health delivery.

Bolga PNC Executive Trade Blows(2nd December 2011,Benjamin Xornam Glover)

At least three persons sustained injuries, when factions within the Bolgatanga Constituency of the People’s National Convention clashed.

The clash involved supporters of Mr Rockson Akugre, a lawyer and Mr David Apasera, a former MP for the area who are both contesting the parliament slot for the party.

Among those who were severally injured was the Regional Organiser of the PNC, Mr Iddrisu Azure who is also a supporter of Mr Akugre.

Mr Azure was admitted at the Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga as a result of a cut in the mouth and a swollen eye he sustained during a violent clash with other members of the PNC but was later discharged.

He told the Daily Graphic that he was attacked by men he suspected to be supporters of Mr Apasera who were opposed to his (Azure’s) support for Lawyer Akugre.

The trouble had sparked off after a faction in support of Lawyer Akugre had gone to court to obtain a court injunction restraining the constituency executives from going ahead with the primaries.

According to Mr Azure, after he and Mr Akugre had emerged from the High Court premises and were going home, his assailants stopped them and demanded to know why they were challenging the conduct of the primaries.

He said out of the blue, his assailants charged on him and punched him from all direction.

He said he managed to slip from them and reported the matter to the police who issued him with a police medical form.

The Regional Organiser said he was sent to the Regional Hospital where he was treated and detained overnight.

Meanwhile, as a result of the injunction served on the executives by the court, the scheduled constituency primaries were not held.

In a related development, Mr Apasera has denied mobilising the people to attack the regional organiser.

Speaking on a radio station in Bolgatanga, the former MP rather blamed his contender and his supporters for working had to thwart his effort at winning the primaries to represent his people in parliament.

In the meantime the regional chairperson of the party, Madam Agnes Atayilah, is urging both sides to exercise restraints and not involve themselves in acts that will destroy the party.