![Citadel Foundation For Kids [CFK]](http://www.citadelfoundationforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cropped-Screen-Shot-2016-02-09-at-7.00.43-PM.png)
Unfortunate situation in Brong Ahafo Region
Teachers, among workers in other professions, have fled the capital, Banda Ahenkro, in response to xenophobic actions taken by some in the community. “Concerned Members of Banda Ahenkro,” as they described themselves, posted threatening notices on various public places. “To Whom It May Concern, this is to inform all strangers working in this community/schools that we are not ready to stay peacefully with you in this community… If you do not leave this district, then we cannot guarantee your safety here… What happened to strangers in South Africa will happen to you.” Unsurprisingly, “strangers” have responded by leaving. In fact, an official of the Banda District Assembly said that “more than 70% of workers in the area have vacated their posts.” For safety reasons, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has ordered the closure of all schools in the district until the situation improves.
MoE sounds good on STEM
Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Ghana’s Minister of Education, has reiterated the government’s commitment to increasing education efforts in quantitative disciplines. Opoku Prempeh said the government would stick to its 2016 Education Strategic Plan, which will strengthen Science education at all education levels and provide special incentives for students in Science-related courses. Opoku Prempeh, like many others, spoke of the benefits in terms of economic development that come with ramping up STEM education.
Give the girls a chance
The Executive Director of Insight Foundation Ghana (IFG), Christiana Gockel, is doing her best to emphasize the importance of making education available for young women. She encouraged those involved to do more. It’s “not just a matter of the girls going to school,” she said. Rather, it is about “making sure they stay in school to develop themselves amidst the hindrances they encounter.” She challenged students, too: calling on them to pursue their studies seriously and to the highest level.
GES: let all students take WASSCE
The GES is prohibiting the heads of schools from preventing final-year students from sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) due to unpaid school fees. Michael Kofi Inkoom, Director of the Secondary Education Division of the GES, understood that headmasters were only trying to ensure schools were compensated for their work, but he claimed there are better ways to ensure students pay their fees. Specifically, heads of schools have been instructed to report students who had outstanding fees. The GES would then communicate that information on to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) who would block their results until fees had been paid.
Do more
The Chancellor of the Regent University College of Science and Technology, Ghana (RUCST), Professor E. Kingsley Larbi, called on tertiary education institutions to do more in the way of solving national problems. “When politicians are groping in darkness looking for answers, we must be there to provide answers,” he said. In addition to being the patriotic thing to do, the universities would also be helping their students. Larbi claims that it would help students use their intelligence in more creative, innovative, and practical ways.
Also…
Hats off to Rita Korankye-Ankrah, the President of the Royal Ladies Ministries International, for raising money to help adult women go back to school.
The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) now has a 17-member Board of Trustees to provide oversight and enable the fund to best serve its purpose.
The Charismatic Bishops’ Conference has called for a return to the ‘O’ and ‘A’ level education system…
…And the Executive Director of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe, disagrees.
The Vice Chancellor of the Kumasi Technical University has called on the government to do more to ensure that children who grow up in orphanages have an equal shot at education.
Opinion piece making the case that Ghana’s Constitution encourages increased technical education.
Congrats to all who participated in the National Science, Technology Fair