According to the Ministry, the new policy is not against payments of PTA dues by parents or students, but it is to ensure that the systems of the schools are not used in the collection of such monies.

Sector Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who made the announcement at a meeting in Kumasi with Directors of Education and Heads of selected Senior High Schools (SHSs), said PTA executives must devise other ways of collecting the dues from parents rather than using heads of schools and their systems in the collection process.

[contextly_sidebar id=”D9FqzRlH1aTahHhLJJGJxKDTUn6V8WYG”]The Minister cited an incident at the Manya Krobo Senior High School where a headmaster sacked some students for failing to pay PTA levies and described such development as unacceptable.

He said, “It is not to say students should not pay or parents should not pay PTA bills. There is an old students Association of the school bill and there is no philanthropic organization. PTA is one of those organizations. They should have their meetings, open their own account, collect their own monies and come and use it to support the school that they want to support”.

He indicated that the Ministry has met with executives of the PTA at the national level, and have discussed the new policy with them.

He further said the Ministry cannot continue to countenance such practice where poor students are being sacked from the classrooms because of their inabilities to pay PTA dues.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh maintained that Government will continue to support the PTA (s) since they contribute positively to the country’s education sector.

He explained that heads of schools must not continue to act as bursars or accountants of PTAs, since they can devise their own ways including using Mobile Money transactions to collect such dues.

“Henceforth, the PTA cannot use the school system to collect that money. I am not saying they cannot collect that money, they cannot use the school system to collect that money…because headmasters are not their accountants or bursars. We the Ministers we also know Mobile Money, so the Parent Teacher Associations should also know Mobile Money to take their monies”, he added.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Minister indicated that boarding schools cannot be used as brothels by male teachers who usually engage in sexual relationships with their female students.

[contextly_sidebar id=”YXqtGzuh5gnQoHkNS3NHwkEN6WmLLv2O”]His comments come after nine teachers of the Ejisuman Senior High School in the Ashanti Region have been interdicted following allegations of sexual assault on some female students of the school.

The Minister who was speaking at a meeting in Kumasi with Directors of Education and Heads of selected Senior High Schools (SHSs) expressed worry over the failure of some heads of schools and Directors of Education in taking steps to protect female students who are victims of sexual abuse.

He indicated that heads of schools should act in place of parents and must ensure the girl child is not a subject of sexual abuse.

“Though they are allegations, they are not allegations that should let us sleep. I am going to hold any Director of Directorate of Education responsible. If such an incident happen in your region and you don’t take steps to protect the kids, it is not about sacking the teacher, it is not about anything, it is about taking steps to protect the underage children. Please take note, if it happens in your school, take the appropriate steps. If you don’t, you have yourself to blame”, he warned.

Dr Opoku Prempeh further said heads of schools must find a lasting solution to the practice where teachers engage in sexual relationships with female students emphasizing that “our schools and our boarding schools are not brothels.”

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By: Hafiz Tijani/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The ‘Triple Travel Trivia’ is a month-long shopper loyalty reward promotion jointly launched by West Hills Mall, Accra Mall and Achimota Mall in February and which offers three slots to three lucky shoppers and their partners for an all-expense-paid trip to sensational holiday destinations in Dubai, Mauritius and Cape Town.  Entries for the promotion are scheduled to close at all three Malls on Wednesday, March 14.

To win any of the three holiday slots, shoppers will have to spend a minimum of Ghc 300 at any shop or a number of shops at West Hills Mall, Accra Mall or Achimota Mall respectively to be entitled to an entry slip which will be filled out and dropped into an Entry Box for a final draw on March 19 to select shoppers for the final trivia game. The draw will be conducted by the National Gaming Commission.

“Yes. The clock has started ticking away and by 8:00pm Wednesday, none of the three malls can take anymore entries. But on Monday, March 19, the Gaming Commission will help us with a draw to select 10 finalists from each of the malls for the final trivia,” said Michael Konadu, Marketing Manager at West Hills Mall where several hundreds of patrons relishing a sponsored vacation in Dubai have been shopping since the launch of the promotion last month.

Trivia winners at Accra Mall and Achimota Mall will be headed for destinations in Mauritius and Cape Town respectively and three holiday slots have been pre-packaged to allow winners to travel with their partners, both of whom will be fully covered by the prize, comprising all-expense-paid flights, destination tours and accommodation, in addition to US$ 2,000 spending money for a stay of five days and four nights at the destination.

Konadu explained that each of the three malls will host a separate final trivia game night on March 23, 24 and 25 respectively at which qualifying shoppers will compete for the chance to grab the three holiday prizes.

Many shoppers are reported to be frantically practicing for the final trivia which, according to mall authorities, has been designed to be enjoyable and exciting for everybody and whose questions will be simple and mundane, relating mostly to the holiday destinations and a bit of current affairs.

‘Whereas the draw on 19^th will be full of suspense, the final trivia event promises to be very exciting and entertaining. All the three final trivia games will be moderated by ‘Trigmatic’, Ghanaian musician and YFM’s celebrated host, said Konadu.  

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Speaking to Citi News, the National President of the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana, Jonathan Apam, explained that an extension of the academic calendar had become necessary in order for the students to stand a better chance of passing their upcoming exams.

[contextly_sidebar id=”8wk9QSqP5ViGsch8L13lMGJ3Pf9jmT33″]“They should postpone the academic calendar from where it has been scheduled for because exams are upcoming. Institute of Education should look into the academic calendar. No government institution or stakeholder will say, when students pass out of the result of the strike, they will only say they didn’t learn and that’s how come they failed or were sacked out of the colleges “he said.

The trainees had earlier warned that if government fails to ensure the return of their tutors to the classrooms soon, they would be forced to take other steps to bring pressure to bear on the administration.

Jonathan Apam, at the time, described the consequences of the strike as dire, hence the need for government’s immediate intervention.

“We are trying to propagate the effects of it [strike] because it appears government is not aware of how the strike is affecting students. For about two, three weeks now, our teachers have not been teaching. This is the time that second years are doing all methods of teaching. This is the time that we have newly admitted students. This is the time that trainee teachers in the basic schools doing their teaching practice are supposed to be supervised. If we fail… we will be sacked. Cape Coast or Institute of Education will not care whether there was a strike or not,” he said.

Colleges remain closed

The 38 Colleges across the country remain closed after djalogue between the government and striking members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), yielded no result.

CETAG have been on strike since November 2, 2017, demanding the immediate payment of their nine-month salary arrears, allowances and market premiums.

The tutors are also seeking improved conditions of service.

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By: Farida Yusif & Akosua Ofeiwaa Opoku/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The 1984 take over of the schools, largely placed the administration and management under government.

The churches for some years now have been calling on government to give them more control in some areas, citing issues of indiscipline among others.

[contextly_sidebar id=”7hq5wuiHtjDwLr69Al0t26bGVs8PiCF6″]The Catholic Bishops Conference and the Christian Council of Ghana have been at the fore front of this demand.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of Trinity College in Accra on Saturday, President Akufo-Addo said he is confident the move to give the churches more control, will improve discipline among students.

“The traditions of discipline, hard-work and integrity that characterize the churches are needed in the country. That is why my government is keen on restoring more control to churches over the missionary schools. I’m glad that many religious groups now seem to want to concentrate on the tertiary sector in the provision of education. The exponential growth in the number of tertiary institutions in the last few years, certainly shows that has been the most popular decision by the churches and others that have gone into the sector.”

The President also appealed to the church to “take a look back at the early childhood sector.”

He recalled that though the church used to be “very active” in the sector, there is currently “obvious great grief” due to neglect.

Gov’t to hand over mission schools – Matthew Opoku Prempeh

The Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, had earlier indicated government’s preparedness to hand over mission schools to the churches that originally built and manage many of such schools.

He indicated that, the return of the mission schools to its former owners is a pledge by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that should be fulfilled.

Various religious groups, including the Christian Council of Ghana have for sometime now been calling for the reversal of a 1984 take-over of their schools which was basically set up to provide Christian education.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Basic and second cycle schools in Ghana usually have three terms within every academic year.

[contextly_sidebar id=”2SQa1skCEPxJ2Y2i5N0l4z1EpwluvhZy”]Speaking at the official launching of the free SHS policy at the West African Senior Secondary School (WASS) on Tuesday, Dr. Opoku Prempeh said this decision will ensure that second cycle institutions continue to run smoothly and for the sustenance of the programme.

“To ensure that those who will not see anything good do not come and criticize us, the president has ensured that as part of the free SHS being fully funded, for the first time in the history this country…the president has ensured that even before one child gets into school 20% of the school fees are already there waiting for them,” he said.

The Minister also stated that, capitation grants for some institutions in the country which have been in arrears for quite a long time, are being cleared by government.

“Capitation grant which has always been chronic areas will be paid up to date even for the first term of this academic year is ready. With feeding grant, we became a nation that we were so merciless that even schools for the special schools we had arrears. Feeding grant for the handicapped schools are going before the school reopens. Feeding grants for students from northern extraction are going this year before school reopens.”

He also added that “teacher trainee allowances have not only been restored, it’s going before reopening.”

Free SHS noble but unsustainable – Haruna Iddrisu

The Implementation of the free SHS policy has been criticized by the opposition National Democratic Congress who claimed government is being biased for not including continuing students in the programme.

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu had earlier lauded the policy describing it as a “noble” objective but unsustainable.

He argued that the mode of financing the policy is not sustainable in the long run.

“My emphasis is that let us not pursue this noble objective which is important for the future of our students and dear to the parents hearts with experimental financing. Our position is one for which we are not asking for vindication today, we will be vindicated with time,” he said on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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According to the party, the policy, which is aimed at making Senior High School education in public schools free will not address the key issues on education.

[contextly_sidebar id=”yJmmnuSQxPvx6YNImtQ93iYqNFg98XM0″]Speaking on Citi FM’s news analysis program, The Big Issue, the Director of Operations of the party, Nana Ofori Owusu suggested a better policy would have been one that addressed the backlog of Junior High School graduates who do not qualify to enter Senior High School.

“This Free SHS is not comprehensive enough. The problem is from the JHS level. We are filtering our children. You give them a BECE exam and half of the people fail; about 200,000 children per annum are not able to move to the Senior High School level. What do we do as a nation in our public education system for this people. We have not addressed this issue. In five years, 1 million children [who didn’t go to SHS]. That issue has not been touched so it is an intentional policy to deprive children of the opportunity to move on,” he said.

The Minister of Education, Mathew Opoku Prempeh at a press conference on Friday said the Free SHS program will cover only students in SHS and it will ensure that government absorbs the full cost of education.

The Minister announced that the money allocated by the government for the program will cater for the 3-year stay of the Senior High School students and students who are repeated in school will not have their extra year being paid for by the government.

But according to the PPP, the more pressing issue of students who do not qualify for the Senior High School must be addressed.

Meanwhile the Minority spokesperson on Education, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe has warned that the Free SHS policy will not achieve the much-expected results because he believes the government has not adequately prepared for it.

He said in a Citi News interview that government’s GHS400 million budget for the policy for the 2017/2018 academic year will not be enough.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Free SHS policy not comprehensive – PPP appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The sector Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, unveiled the teen actor at a short ceremony at the Ministry on Thursday, June 22, 2017. The Free SHS policy is one of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s flagship policy programs that helped it win power in the December 2016 polls.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qIXolVZVUOFJZS2Be8oVfGJwhxGdeM6P”]The party popularized the intended program in the run up to the 2012 elections, but could not win power then to implement it.

Having successfully won the elections in 2016, led by Nana Akufo-Addo, the party announced that it will fully roll out the program this year.

President Akufo-Addo, in an address at Okuapeman School in the Eastern Region in February 2017, announced that the program will commence from September 2017.

According to him, it will cover the full fees of students who attend public Senior High Schools across the country.

“By free SHS, we mean that, in addition to tuition which is already free, there will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer lab fees, no examination fees, no utility fees; there will be free textbooks, free boarding, and free meals, and day students will get a meal at school for free,” Akufo-Addo said.

Abraham Atta, 15, now resides in the USA for his career and high school education.

He made his feature film debut in Beasts of No Nation (2015), playing a leading role of child soldier (Agu). He was awarded the Marcello Mastroianni’s Best Young Actor Award at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.

In 2016, it was announced that he had been cast in the upcoming Marvel film Spider-Man: Homecoming.

It is unclear what Abraham Atta’s specific duties will be as the policy program’s ambassador.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Abraham Attah unveiled as Free SHS ambassador appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This was after the Joe Ghartey committee found the Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga guilty of contempt of Parliament, and recommended that he should apologize to the House.

[contextly_sidebar id=”KmaYIRPFHwClBwxgOL4CvsbgLmsrztAg”]Dr. Opoku Prempeh in a statement said he took “grave exception to the scurrilous and unfounded allegations”.

He further said he expected “Sam George to do the honourable thing by swiftly apologizing for his unfounded claim.”

‘I owe him no apology’

But responding to the statement on Eyewitness News, Sam George asserted that, he owed the Education Minister no apology.

“I stand fully and solely by the words I uttered in my interview this [Friday] morning on the Citi Breakfast Show. He should run away from it. He should rather be a man and admit that he did the wrong thing and stop running around and bundling words around.”

“I owe him no apology. He owes the honourable member from Tamale North an apology. And if he will be humble enough, he owes me an apology from four weeks ago,” the Ningo Prampram MP stated.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s statement also made reference to proceedings on March 10, 2017, and denied Sam George’s claim that he had called him a fool for prompting the Speaker to ask him if he was wearing a school uniform or was properly dressed to Parliament.

Sam George again stood by his claims that Dr. Opoku Prempeh called him a fool on the floor of Parliament for his actions, noting that Parliament’s Hansard “chose to omit some very unprintable words.”

“We were all in the chamber and I was not the only one who heard it. There are members of Parliament on our side who equally heard it and that is what triggered Alhassa Suhuyini’s anger… During the heckling, a lot of words were bundled around that don’t make their way into the Hansard.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post I don’t owe NAPO any apology – Sam George appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A statement issued on Wednesday said the consequences of examination malpractices were serious, including cancellation of results and prosecution.

According to the statement the Ministry is encouraging each of the students to raise their spirit, remain strong and do their best during the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

“This is the crowning moment of your Senior High School education and we trust that you have applied yourselves diligently to studies, have used your time judiciously and ready for the exams,” Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education said.

Dr Prempeh said they had confidence that supervisors, invigilators and inspectors would discharge their duties professionally by conducting themselves in accordance with the rules and regulations of the examinations.

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Source: GNA

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