THE Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu, has tasked 21 municipal and district chief executives (M/DCEs) in the region to pay regular, unannounced visits to the basic schools benefiting from the School Feeding Programme.
He said such visits would make the caterers to observe strict health and safety rules in the preparation of food for the schoolchildren.
Besides, he said, they would help them assess at first-hand the quality and quantity of food being served to the pupils and also put a stop to the use of unwholesome ingredients by some “unscrupulous caterers”.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo said “it is time we collectively stopped and exposed bad practices and the desire of greedy individuals bent on making undue profit at the expense of our future leaders”.
The regional minister was addressing the M/DCEs and their co-ordinating directors, officials of the Ghana Education Service and other stakeholders at the regional inauguration of the district School Feeding Programme implementation committees in Koforidua on Tuesday.
The committees are to see to the successful implementation of the programme and ensure that it operates within acceptable standards at the municipal and district levels.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo said the introduction of the School Feeding Programme by the government had become one of the important social interventions that had increased access to education and learning, as well as improved children’s health and nutrition, especially for pupils from the deprived communities.
He was, however, unhappy about the several reported cases of pupils being fed on unwholesome food items by the very individuals whose services had been engaged to prepare food for them.
The regional minister, therefore, urged the M/DCEs and the committees in the region to be proactive in ensuring effective monitoring of the programme in their respective areas.
“Since schoolchildren of today are the embodiment of the nation’s future leaders, the burden of ensuring their educational development should be the duty of every Ghanaian,” he stressed.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo appealed to the chief executives to give priority to the extension of the programme to poor communities that deserved it.
He urged them to ensure that locally produced food items were used in the preparation of meals for the pupils, adding that “using locally sourced food will not only inculcate the consumption of local food in the children, but also provide reliable income for local farmers”.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
GH¢850,000 BUILDING COMPLEX FOR ABURI CRAFT VILLAGE (PAGE 35, JUNE 9, 2010)
THE Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF) has approved a total of GH¢850,000 towards the construction of a modern building complex for the Aburi Craft Village this year.
The project, which is aimed at promoting the tourism potential in the area and enhancing the work of wood carvers, would be constructed on an 8.5-acre piece of land at the Aburi Y Junction.
The project, to be implemented in two phases, would involve the construction of stalls, showrooms, a forex bureau, an Internet cafe’, a canteen and a guest house, among others.
On completion, the project would provide opportunity for small-scale craft makers to market their products and give the youth requisite training and skills to earn a decent living.
Currently, wood carvers only sell their wares in small and inappropriate stalls by the roadsides, a situation that poses danger to them and their clients.
The Aburihene, Otoobuor Djan Kwesi II, who made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic at Aburi, said the complex would significantly enhance the work of the carvers and enable them to apply their entrepreneurship skills in a competitive market to earn better incomes.
According to him, since the country earns adequate foreign exchange from the export of handicrafts and its increased patronage by tourists, the completion of the modern complex will afford the carvers ready market for their produce locally and at the international level.
Otoobuor Djan expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Trade and Industry for its commitment over the years to fulfil its promise of promoting the work of wood carvers in the area.
Speaking on the Aburi Botanical Gardens, Otoobuor Djan appealed to the government to help market the garden to potential investors who would develop it because it was gradually losing its natural endowment and tourism potential.
The project, which is aimed at promoting the tourism potential in the area and enhancing the work of wood carvers, would be constructed on an 8.5-acre piece of land at the Aburi Y Junction.
The project, to be implemented in two phases, would involve the construction of stalls, showrooms, a forex bureau, an Internet cafe’, a canteen and a guest house, among others.
On completion, the project would provide opportunity for small-scale craft makers to market their products and give the youth requisite training and skills to earn a decent living.
Currently, wood carvers only sell their wares in small and inappropriate stalls by the roadsides, a situation that poses danger to them and their clients.
The Aburihene, Otoobuor Djan Kwesi II, who made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic at Aburi, said the complex would significantly enhance the work of the carvers and enable them to apply their entrepreneurship skills in a competitive market to earn better incomes.
According to him, since the country earns adequate foreign exchange from the export of handicrafts and its increased patronage by tourists, the completion of the modern complex will afford the carvers ready market for their produce locally and at the international level.
Otoobuor Djan expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Trade and Industry for its commitment over the years to fulfil its promise of promoting the work of wood carvers in the area.
Speaking on the Aburi Botanical Gardens, Otoobuor Djan appealed to the government to help market the garden to potential investors who would develop it because it was gradually losing its natural endowment and tourism potential.
WOMEN ATTEND WORKSHOP ON ROAD SAFETY (PAGE 35, JUNE 9, 2010)
A ROAD safety awareness workshop aimed at sensitising women to the dangers and effects of road traffic crashes on the country’s human resource development, has ended in Koforidua.
The event was to help women appreciate the magnitude of road traffic crashes in the country and the urgent need for them to get actively involved in the reduction and prevention of fatalities on the roads.
After the training, the women were expected to become advocates of road safety by supporting rigorous road safety campaigns in their respective homes, communities, churches and mosques, schools, markets and workplaces.
Organised by the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), the workshop brought together women from the various ministries, departments and agencies, as well as representatives from the various trade groups and associations in the New Juaben Municipality.
In an address, the Executive Director of the NRSC, Mr Noble J. Appiah, said 70 per cent of road traffic deaths in the country involved men, a situation that had placed a heavy responsibility of family upbringing on women in society.
“In event of the death of more men in road crashes, most homes are left without breadwinners; this has serious socio-economic implications for women and their families, the community and the country,” he stated.
Mr Appiah, therefore, urged women to take the leading role by championing and being advocates in road safety wherever they found themselves, adding that “we should demand road safety as pedestrians and passengers all the time”.
He reminded the participants that road safety was not about accidents and the loss of human lives, but the “pain and suffering as well as the socio-economic impact on our women.”
Mr Appiah expressed worry over some Ghanaians’ careless attitudes towards accidents, stressing, “It is time we disabused our minds that every road crash that claims lives is the will of God.”
“As passengers when a driver misbehaves, we must check him in order to curb rampant road crashes, failure of which we will find ourselves killed through a drivers’ recklessness,” he reminded the women.
Giving an overview of the current road safety records in the country, the Director of Planning and Programmes of the NRSC, Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah, said the Eastern, Greater Accra, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions accounted for 70 per cent of road traffic crashes since 1998.
According to her, 42 per cent of persons killed annually were pedestrians, made of 23 per cent children below the age of 16 while 70 per cent of persons killed annually were in the active group age between 16 and 55.
The event was to help women appreciate the magnitude of road traffic crashes in the country and the urgent need for them to get actively involved in the reduction and prevention of fatalities on the roads.
After the training, the women were expected to become advocates of road safety by supporting rigorous road safety campaigns in their respective homes, communities, churches and mosques, schools, markets and workplaces.
Organised by the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), the workshop brought together women from the various ministries, departments and agencies, as well as representatives from the various trade groups and associations in the New Juaben Municipality.
In an address, the Executive Director of the NRSC, Mr Noble J. Appiah, said 70 per cent of road traffic deaths in the country involved men, a situation that had placed a heavy responsibility of family upbringing on women in society.
“In event of the death of more men in road crashes, most homes are left without breadwinners; this has serious socio-economic implications for women and their families, the community and the country,” he stated.
Mr Appiah, therefore, urged women to take the leading role by championing and being advocates in road safety wherever they found themselves, adding that “we should demand road safety as pedestrians and passengers all the time”.
He reminded the participants that road safety was not about accidents and the loss of human lives, but the “pain and suffering as well as the socio-economic impact on our women.”
Mr Appiah expressed worry over some Ghanaians’ careless attitudes towards accidents, stressing, “It is time we disabused our minds that every road crash that claims lives is the will of God.”
“As passengers when a driver misbehaves, we must check him in order to curb rampant road crashes, failure of which we will find ourselves killed through a drivers’ recklessness,” he reminded the women.
Giving an overview of the current road safety records in the country, the Director of Planning and Programmes of the NRSC, Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah, said the Eastern, Greater Accra, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions accounted for 70 per cent of road traffic crashes since 1998.
According to her, 42 per cent of persons killed annually were pedestrians, made of 23 per cent children below the age of 16 while 70 per cent of persons killed annually were in the active group age between 16 and 55.
STEEL BRIDGES TO LINK COMMUNITIES IN 10 MUNICIPALITIES (PAGE 35, JUNE 9, 2010)
A NUMBER of rural communities in 10 municipalities and districts in the Eastern Region which are either surrounded or divided by rivers are to be linked with 18 steel bridges.
The provision of the bridges is to facilitate the movement of the people and haulage of agricultural produce.
The bridges, which will be between 20 and 35 metres across rivers, will be financed by the government with support from the governments of The Netherlands, the United States of America and Spain.
The Spanish government will provide five bridges, estimated at GH¢3,017,227, in farming communities in the East Akyem Municipality, Birim South and the Upper Manya districts.
The American government will construct the bridges in farming and fishing communities in the Atiwa, Yilo Krobo, Fanteakwa and the Asuogyaman districts at a total cost of GH¢2,991,955.
Even though work on the Spanish and the American-financed bridges are yet to be awarded on contract, the projects are expected to be completed in 2012.
However, work on the Dutch-financed bridges, estimated at GH¢3,114,721, is ongoing in the East Akyem and West Akyem municipalities and Kwahu South, Kwahu West, Yilo Krobo and the Upper Manya Krobo districts.
The Eastern Regional Manager of the Department of Feeder Roads, Mr David Brobbey, made this known to the Daily Graphic at Effiduase, near Koforidua.
He made these statements when he took the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, round to inspect the delivery of various steel components of the bridges on the premises of the Department of Feeder Roads in Koforidua.
That was after Mr Ofosu Ampofo had paid a working visit to interact with the management and workers of the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Feeder Roads and the Urban Roads Department in Koforidua to acquaint himself with the challenges facing the three institutions and their workers.
He said when completed, the bridges were expected to provide easy access to remote farming and fishing communities where the people currently used canoes to ferry women in labour and the sick across rivers before boarding vehicles to nearby hospitals.
Besides, Mr Brobbey said, the bridges would also bring a lot of relief to the people, especially schoolchildren who travelled by canoes daily to attend school in the other communities.
“Upon completion, people in communities close to rivers and other water bodies will no longer have to use canoes to cross bridges, sometimes getting drowned in the process,” Mr Brobbey stated.
According to him, currently the most convenient means of transport for the people living in the farming and fishing communities surrounded and divided by rivers was the use of canoes to reach other communities.
“There are times when many of these communities are cut off completely from other communities, especially during heavy rainy seasons when the level of the rivers rise, making it impossible for them to either cross or cart their farm produce to marketing centres,” he stated.
He added: “When this happens, schoolchildren cannot go to school and those who dare sometimes get drowned in the process.”
Mr Ofosu Ampofo said about 30 per cent of foodstuffs produced in the country were lost through post-harvest loses caused by lack of access roads in most of the rural communities.
He, therefore, expressed optimism that the construction of the bridges would ease the burden poor farmers went through to cart their farm produce to the market centres on time to enable them to earn decent incomes.
The regional minister tasked the management of the Department of Feeder Roads to put in place measures to ensure effective supervision of the projects and their early completion.
The provision of the bridges is to facilitate the movement of the people and haulage of agricultural produce.
The bridges, which will be between 20 and 35 metres across rivers, will be financed by the government with support from the governments of The Netherlands, the United States of America and Spain.
The Spanish government will provide five bridges, estimated at GH¢3,017,227, in farming communities in the East Akyem Municipality, Birim South and the Upper Manya districts.
The American government will construct the bridges in farming and fishing communities in the Atiwa, Yilo Krobo, Fanteakwa and the Asuogyaman districts at a total cost of GH¢2,991,955.
Even though work on the Spanish and the American-financed bridges are yet to be awarded on contract, the projects are expected to be completed in 2012.
However, work on the Dutch-financed bridges, estimated at GH¢3,114,721, is ongoing in the East Akyem and West Akyem municipalities and Kwahu South, Kwahu West, Yilo Krobo and the Upper Manya Krobo districts.
The Eastern Regional Manager of the Department of Feeder Roads, Mr David Brobbey, made this known to the Daily Graphic at Effiduase, near Koforidua.
He made these statements when he took the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, round to inspect the delivery of various steel components of the bridges on the premises of the Department of Feeder Roads in Koforidua.
That was after Mr Ofosu Ampofo had paid a working visit to interact with the management and workers of the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Feeder Roads and the Urban Roads Department in Koforidua to acquaint himself with the challenges facing the three institutions and their workers.
He said when completed, the bridges were expected to provide easy access to remote farming and fishing communities where the people currently used canoes to ferry women in labour and the sick across rivers before boarding vehicles to nearby hospitals.
Besides, Mr Brobbey said, the bridges would also bring a lot of relief to the people, especially schoolchildren who travelled by canoes daily to attend school in the other communities.
“Upon completion, people in communities close to rivers and other water bodies will no longer have to use canoes to cross bridges, sometimes getting drowned in the process,” Mr Brobbey stated.
According to him, currently the most convenient means of transport for the people living in the farming and fishing communities surrounded and divided by rivers was the use of canoes to reach other communities.
“There are times when many of these communities are cut off completely from other communities, especially during heavy rainy seasons when the level of the rivers rise, making it impossible for them to either cross or cart their farm produce to marketing centres,” he stated.
He added: “When this happens, schoolchildren cannot go to school and those who dare sometimes get drowned in the process.”
Mr Ofosu Ampofo said about 30 per cent of foodstuffs produced in the country were lost through post-harvest loses caused by lack of access roads in most of the rural communities.
He, therefore, expressed optimism that the construction of the bridges would ease the burden poor farmers went through to cart their farm produce to the market centres on time to enable them to earn decent incomes.
The regional minister tasked the management of the Department of Feeder Roads to put in place measures to ensure effective supervision of the projects and their early completion.
Friday, June 4, 2010
NKUSUOHEMAA PROMOTES INTELECTUAL EXCELLENCE ...At Obosomase-Akuapem (PAGE 11, JUNE 4, 2010)
A SCHOOL designed to ignite enthusiasm for learning in the Akuapem area has begun at Obosomase. It is currently admitting children from kindergarten to junior high school (JHS).
The objective of the new school, Aloma International Academy is to provide instruction covering early childhood education through high school and college.
The school, will also provide training in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The academy is also a training facility for Early Childhood educators.
Though the institution is geared primarily to provide instruction, it will go further in the delivery of a high standard of quality childcare.
Its daily operations starts from 7:00 am. to 7:00pm. The time period will enable parents to drop their children at school before going to work and pick their wards after work.
The facility is equipped to provide three meals per day for students. Also scheduled for provision, are malaria tablets and vitamins, once weekly. In that context, a wellness programme has been designed.
“We intend to improve the condition of the whole child,” said Nana Akua Adobea, Nkosuohemaa of the Kronti Division of Aburi the school’s proprietress, adding that “our holistic approach speaks to making quality education available.”
Nana Akua Adobea who hails from Jamaica and is privately known as Ms Aloma Ingram was enstoolled at the Kronti Palace of Aburi four years ago.
“I am looking for parents who are serious about educating their children. Our Ghanaian children deserve the best,” Nana Akua Adobea said.
“At present, the institution is offering a free tuition scholarship to each student, for the first term, which has started. Of course, there is a cost for uniforms, food, other materials and services, at a reasonable cost”, she said.
Dr Osei Bonsu Twum, the District Municipal Chief Executive for Akuapem South, who visited the project, was so impressed and said, “Nana, I am being touched by Angel. You are an Angel.”
Nana Akua Adobea explained to the Daily Graphic that the initial phase of the project, consisting of the first floor of a six-unit two storey classroom block, has been completed.
She said the project was furnished with a computer laboratory with Internet facility, a library and child-friendly learning tools aimed at stimulating the learning abilities of the children.
However, the lack of funds is currently posing serious constraints to the early completion of the second floor of the project and another six-unit classroom block, which is currently at the foundation level.
Upon completion, the Aloma International Academy will also comprise facilities for adult learning centre, family planning and nutrition programmes for women in the area.
The project forms part of Nana Akua Adobea’s contribution to making learning under a conducive environment by school children more accessible and the uplift of the standard of education at Obosomase and other communities on the Akuapem Ridge.
According to the Nkosuohemea since education was one of the major tools that could promote the development of a child’s intellectual, mental formation as well as behavioural patterns, she decided to provide the Obosomase community with a school to make education more accessible to schoolchildren from the area and its environs.
“Although every child has the right to education, it is not only the responsibility of the government; It is a shared responsibility among the state, traditional authorities, individuals, parents as well as teachers,", the Nkosuohemaa of Aburi stated
“Since I am passionate about education in Ghana, access to quality education by poor and underprivileged children has always been my keen interest for many years as an educationist”, Nana Adobea stated.
She pledged her commitment to use the Aloma International School as a resource centre for other schools as well as “train other educationists and Academy that will need help in uplifting the standard of education on the Akuapem Ridge”.
The objective of the new school, Aloma International Academy is to provide instruction covering early childhood education through high school and college.
The school, will also provide training in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The academy is also a training facility for Early Childhood educators.
Though the institution is geared primarily to provide instruction, it will go further in the delivery of a high standard of quality childcare.
Its daily operations starts from 7:00 am. to 7:00pm. The time period will enable parents to drop their children at school before going to work and pick their wards after work.
The facility is equipped to provide three meals per day for students. Also scheduled for provision, are malaria tablets and vitamins, once weekly. In that context, a wellness programme has been designed.
“We intend to improve the condition of the whole child,” said Nana Akua Adobea, Nkosuohemaa of the Kronti Division of Aburi the school’s proprietress, adding that “our holistic approach speaks to making quality education available.”
Nana Akua Adobea who hails from Jamaica and is privately known as Ms Aloma Ingram was enstoolled at the Kronti Palace of Aburi four years ago.
“I am looking for parents who are serious about educating their children. Our Ghanaian children deserve the best,” Nana Akua Adobea said.
“At present, the institution is offering a free tuition scholarship to each student, for the first term, which has started. Of course, there is a cost for uniforms, food, other materials and services, at a reasonable cost”, she said.
Dr Osei Bonsu Twum, the District Municipal Chief Executive for Akuapem South, who visited the project, was so impressed and said, “Nana, I am being touched by Angel. You are an Angel.”
Nana Akua Adobea explained to the Daily Graphic that the initial phase of the project, consisting of the first floor of a six-unit two storey classroom block, has been completed.
She said the project was furnished with a computer laboratory with Internet facility, a library and child-friendly learning tools aimed at stimulating the learning abilities of the children.
However, the lack of funds is currently posing serious constraints to the early completion of the second floor of the project and another six-unit classroom block, which is currently at the foundation level.
Upon completion, the Aloma International Academy will also comprise facilities for adult learning centre, family planning and nutrition programmes for women in the area.
The project forms part of Nana Akua Adobea’s contribution to making learning under a conducive environment by school children more accessible and the uplift of the standard of education at Obosomase and other communities on the Akuapem Ridge.
According to the Nkosuohemea since education was one of the major tools that could promote the development of a child’s intellectual, mental formation as well as behavioural patterns, she decided to provide the Obosomase community with a school to make education more accessible to schoolchildren from the area and its environs.
“Although every child has the right to education, it is not only the responsibility of the government; It is a shared responsibility among the state, traditional authorities, individuals, parents as well as teachers,", the Nkosuohemaa of Aburi stated
“Since I am passionate about education in Ghana, access to quality education by poor and underprivileged children has always been my keen interest for many years as an educationist”, Nana Adobea stated.
She pledged her commitment to use the Aloma International School as a resource centre for other schools as well as “train other educationists and Academy that will need help in uplifting the standard of education on the Akuapem Ridge”.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
ABURI GIRLS CHALKS UP ACADEMIC SUCCESS (SPREAD, JUNE 3, 2010)
THE Aburi Girls’ Senior High School chalked up 100 per cent in the 2009 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), making this record the best academic performance in more than 10 years.
Out of the 460 candidates who passed in all the eight subjects, one student obtained Grade A in all the eight subjects while seven got Grade As in seven subjects.
With such an improved academic record, the school has now become the best SHS “that feeds the universities in the country with qualified students”.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Silvia Asempa, made this known at the school’s 64th anniversary speech and prize-giving at Aburi.
She stated that “among the 20 top SHSs who fed the universities five years ago, we have improved to the top 10 two years ago and the top five last year and today we are the number one SHS”.
The event, marked on the theme: “Be That Light On The Hill”, was used to honour students who had distinguished themselves in various subjects and co-curricula activities, as well as hardworking teaching and non-teaching staff.
Ms Ernestina Okoe-Martey, who obtained eight Grade As in the 2009 WASSCE, was honoured for being the overall best student. For her prize, she received a laptop and assorted sets of books.
The class of 1985 students, who organised the anniversary, also honoured the Headmistress of the school, Mrs Asempa, and her deputy, Mrs Sefa Twerefour, and her predecessor, Dr Joyce Lucy Asibey, for their distinguished services to the development and academic successes of the school over the years.
The headmistress attributed the successful academic achievement in the 2009 WASSCE to innovative policies, strict supervision, improved infrastructure, congenial atmosphere, teamwork, commitment and dedication of the management, parent-teacher association (PTA), board members, Old Girls Association and the students.
“We promise not to dilute our academic momentum to be at the top always,” Mrs Asempa said, seizing the opportunity to express her profound gratitude to the teaching and non-teaching staff, students and other stakeholders.
On discipline, Mrs Asempa said discipline had remained one of the guiding principles that had significantly made a difference in the character of the students and their academic performance.
“However unpalatable our discipline methods seem, we make our girls understand and appreciate the fact that discipline has a direct relationship with academic performance and the bedrock of every successful endeavour,” she stated.
She gave an assurance that “since discipline is a holistic system that ensures total development of our girls to enable them to reap its full effect of hard work, self-respect, self-dignity and confidence, we will never be complacent in our discipline approach”.
Recounting other successes achieved by the school under her nine-year administration, Mrs Asempa mentioned the PTA-funded GH¢52,000 sachet water plant, the first of its kind in any SHS in the country, a GH¢32,000 refurbished chemistry lab funded by the 1985 class, a GH¢20,000 bedroom flat, a three-unit classroom block which had enabled the school to admit 120 more girls, and a two-bedroom flat, among others.
On challenges facing the school, the headmistress identified the lack of a modern art studio for the art department as the only challenge facing the art students, adding that “it is the only department that has not received any appreciable attention”.
On infrastructure, she said with the support of the school’s PTA, Old Girls Association and other stakeholders, “we are on our own putting measures in place to supplement the government’s infrastructural development to accommodate the 2010/2011 new entrants in September this year”.
Delivering her keynote address, a Circuit Court judge, Mrs Doris Bempong, an old student, advised the students to strive for excellence and integrity to enable them to make a difference in their life and that of others.
“To fulfil your dreams, sacrifice yourself by devoting your time, talents and resources to your studies and seek out and love everyone regardless of their situation and circumstances, as well as inspire by teaching others through your example,” she stated.
A special guest of honour, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Kofie, an old student and former Minister of Information and National Orientation, encouraged the students to avail themselves of the opportunities to be groomed and prepared for excellence for responsible leadership in future.
Out of the 460 candidates who passed in all the eight subjects, one student obtained Grade A in all the eight subjects while seven got Grade As in seven subjects.
With such an improved academic record, the school has now become the best SHS “that feeds the universities in the country with qualified students”.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Silvia Asempa, made this known at the school’s 64th anniversary speech and prize-giving at Aburi.
She stated that “among the 20 top SHSs who fed the universities five years ago, we have improved to the top 10 two years ago and the top five last year and today we are the number one SHS”.
The event, marked on the theme: “Be That Light On The Hill”, was used to honour students who had distinguished themselves in various subjects and co-curricula activities, as well as hardworking teaching and non-teaching staff.
Ms Ernestina Okoe-Martey, who obtained eight Grade As in the 2009 WASSCE, was honoured for being the overall best student. For her prize, she received a laptop and assorted sets of books.
The class of 1985 students, who organised the anniversary, also honoured the Headmistress of the school, Mrs Asempa, and her deputy, Mrs Sefa Twerefour, and her predecessor, Dr Joyce Lucy Asibey, for their distinguished services to the development and academic successes of the school over the years.
The headmistress attributed the successful academic achievement in the 2009 WASSCE to innovative policies, strict supervision, improved infrastructure, congenial atmosphere, teamwork, commitment and dedication of the management, parent-teacher association (PTA), board members, Old Girls Association and the students.
“We promise not to dilute our academic momentum to be at the top always,” Mrs Asempa said, seizing the opportunity to express her profound gratitude to the teaching and non-teaching staff, students and other stakeholders.
On discipline, Mrs Asempa said discipline had remained one of the guiding principles that had significantly made a difference in the character of the students and their academic performance.
“However unpalatable our discipline methods seem, we make our girls understand and appreciate the fact that discipline has a direct relationship with academic performance and the bedrock of every successful endeavour,” she stated.
She gave an assurance that “since discipline is a holistic system that ensures total development of our girls to enable them to reap its full effect of hard work, self-respect, self-dignity and confidence, we will never be complacent in our discipline approach”.
Recounting other successes achieved by the school under her nine-year administration, Mrs Asempa mentioned the PTA-funded GH¢52,000 sachet water plant, the first of its kind in any SHS in the country, a GH¢32,000 refurbished chemistry lab funded by the 1985 class, a GH¢20,000 bedroom flat, a three-unit classroom block which had enabled the school to admit 120 more girls, and a two-bedroom flat, among others.
On challenges facing the school, the headmistress identified the lack of a modern art studio for the art department as the only challenge facing the art students, adding that “it is the only department that has not received any appreciable attention”.
On infrastructure, she said with the support of the school’s PTA, Old Girls Association and other stakeholders, “we are on our own putting measures in place to supplement the government’s infrastructural development to accommodate the 2010/2011 new entrants in September this year”.
Delivering her keynote address, a Circuit Court judge, Mrs Doris Bempong, an old student, advised the students to strive for excellence and integrity to enable them to make a difference in their life and that of others.
“To fulfil your dreams, sacrifice yourself by devoting your time, talents and resources to your studies and seek out and love everyone regardless of their situation and circumstances, as well as inspire by teaching others through your example,” she stated.
A special guest of honour, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Kofie, an old student and former Minister of Information and National Orientation, encouraged the students to avail themselves of the opportunities to be groomed and prepared for excellence for responsible leadership in future.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
ZOOMLION PRESENTED WITH SANITARY EQUIPMENT (PAGE 35, JUNE 2, 2010)
THE Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) in collaboration with the New Juaben Municipal Assembly has presented a number of sanitary items to Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a waste management company.
The items included 40 pairs of wellington boots, 10 shovels and six wheelbarrows.
They are to support staff of the company, most of whom clean choked gutters and refuse dumps wearing inappropriate footwear such as bathroom slippers, shoes, among others, in the municipality.
Presenting the items, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the municipal assembly decided to present the equipment to motivate the workers of Zoomlion to discharge their duties more effectively and efficiently.
"Since environmental cleanliness is a shared responsibility, it is our hope that these items will encourage workers of Zoomlion to clear choked gutters, refuse dumps and ensure general cleanliness in the New Juaben Municipality," he stated.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo said he would pay regular inspection to the area to ensure that the items were used for the intended purpose.
Receiving the items, the Regional Operations Supervisor of Zoomlion, Mr Ernest Kusi, thanked the RCC and the New Juaben Municipal Assembly for their support.
He pledged to ensure that the equipment would be utilised to ensure cleanliness in the area.
The items included 40 pairs of wellington boots, 10 shovels and six wheelbarrows.
They are to support staff of the company, most of whom clean choked gutters and refuse dumps wearing inappropriate footwear such as bathroom slippers, shoes, among others, in the municipality.
Presenting the items, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the municipal assembly decided to present the equipment to motivate the workers of Zoomlion to discharge their duties more effectively and efficiently.
"Since environmental cleanliness is a shared responsibility, it is our hope that these items will encourage workers of Zoomlion to clear choked gutters, refuse dumps and ensure general cleanliness in the New Juaben Municipality," he stated.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo said he would pay regular inspection to the area to ensure that the items were used for the intended purpose.
Receiving the items, the Regional Operations Supervisor of Zoomlion, Mr Ernest Kusi, thanked the RCC and the New Juaben Municipal Assembly for their support.
He pledged to ensure that the equipment would be utilised to ensure cleanliness in the area.
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