Day: January 23, 2024

Mr Jonathan Korsinah, the Nkwanta South Municipal Education Director, has appealed to the government and the Interior Ministry, to review the curfew imposed on the Nkwanta township because of the recent tribal conflict.

This, he said, would help students and teachers to recover the lost periods due to the conflict.

Mr Korsinah noted that the conflict had affected education in the area, as schools which were once vibrant centers of knowledge currently faced the brunt of instability.

The Education Director stressed the need for a review of curfew hours to enable students and teachers to return to school.

Some schools in the Nkwanta South township and other adjoining communities, had been closed since November 2023 due to an inter-tribal conflict resulting in the death of over 13 people, with many properties destroyed.

During a peace march organised by Mr Jonathan Korsinah, parents were implored to encourage their children to return to school.

Also, Pre-Tertiary Students have also petitioned the Nkwanta S
outh Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) for maximum protection for both teachers and students during and after school hours.

Mr Bright K. Lenwah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), for Nkwanta South after receiving the petitions from both students and the Education Directorate, thanked them for their efforts in restoring peace in the area.

He noted that steps were being taken to review the curfew in the area, urging the various ethnic groups to engage their youth within their communities to lay down their arms.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWUG) has expressed support for the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) to secure fair wages and improved working conditions.

This was contained in a statement issued by TEWUG signed by Sulemana Abdul-Rahman, its chairman, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Tamale on Tuesday.

The statement said the labour unions in the public universities wrote to National Labour Commission (NLC) in October 2023, demanding implementation of a ruling by NLC concerning payment of Vehicle Maintenance Allowance, Off-Campus Allowance, payment of Tier 2 pension funds and payment of Overtime/Extra duty Allowance to deserving staff in the public universities.

It said the public universities that were affected for not receiving the fixed Overtime/Extra Duty Allowance included UCC, UMaT and UESD.

It said instead of paying the deserving staff of the affected public universities, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GT
EC) and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), wrote to the public universities to stop them from paying the deserving staff their Overtime/Extra Duty Allowances.

It expressed disappointment at the failure of the NLC/Government to respect the ruling and address the demands of the labour unions at the public universities namely; Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), TEWUG, and SSA-UoG.

The statement said: ‘TEWUG is by this statement requesting GTEC and FWSC to retract the said directives and to restore the overtime payment to the deserving staff as soon as possible to avoid any further possible agitations on the universities’ Campuses.’

It said: ‘These situations have made Public University workers very unhappy in the face of the current economic conditions in the nation, and we call on the Employer to urgently address the differences to forestall the hardships faced by the affected workers.’

It urged members to remain calm and steadfast, saying: ‘We will resist any attempt by the Empl
oyer to vary the terms of the agreed Conditions of Service without due process.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr. Jethro Wilbert Brooks Jnr., the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Regional Maritime University (RMU), has urged students with low grades to take advantage of the University’s Vocational Training programmes.

He said these programmes were equally good as there provided more opportunities.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor was speaking at a ceremony to welcome its January batch of fresh students into various University programmes.

Orientation is one of the official programmes on the institution’s calendar that freshmen/women are taken through the dos and don’ts of the University.

The two-day orientation programme witnessed various speakers who stressed Health Matters, Library Services, Campus life, Safety on campus, Immigration Matters, Finances, Examination, and Course Unit System.

Dr Brooks Jnr. welcomed the freshmen and women embarking on their educational transformative journey, asking them to inform their friends who could not make the grades for admission into the University not to lose hope but to try and
enrol on the University’s vocational training programmes.

‘As you embark on this academic adventurous journey, I urge you to approach your studies with diligence and curiosity as the maritime industry demands resilience, adaptability, and a thirst for knowledge,’ he said.

Professor Captain Nana Ofosu Boateng and Prof. Samuel Oppong, Deans of Maritime Studies and Marine Engineering Department tasked the students to embrace the challenges ahead for they were the crucible in which their potential would be forged.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The University of Ghana, Legon, has awarded contracts for the setting up of a laptop assembly plant on campus to further support students’ access to laptops at highly competitive prices.

Since August 2022, the University has distributed 309 laptops to its students under the One Student, One Laptop initiative.

The University with support from individuals and corporate bodies, had donated 500 laptops to students who could not afford them.

Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, announced this on Tuesday in Accra during a congregational ceremony for the School of Graduate Studies.

In all, 15,549 students are graduating from the PhD to the non-degree level.

The Professor said the university’s efforts in inclusivity provided basic ICT training for seven visually impaired students in collaboration with the International

Telecommunications Union and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications.

The training, she stressed, was hosted by the University’s Assistive Tech
nology Lab to enhance the educational experience and equip the students for challenges in the digital workplace.

The Professor said the University commissioned the University of Ghana-Toyota Ghana School of Engineering Sciences Training Centre in October 2023.

That, she explained, was in line with the University’s commitment to ensuring that the students were prepared for the job market.

‘This facility exemplifies the synergy between academia and industry and is a significant contribution and investment to the University’s engineering programme.

Toyota Ghana has committed to providing $2 million worth of engineering equipment over ten years to support the training of the University’s engineering students.

Toyota Ghana’s donation of a 33-seater Toyota Coaster bus further supports our commitment to enhancing student mobility,’ she added.

The Vice-Chancellor said the University had introduced an open randomised bed allocation system to improve access to student accommodation.

She said the system would ens
ure a fair and transparent process in bed allocation and offer students an equal opportunity to be allocated a room irrespective of their internet connectivity status, which had been a challenge in the past.

Mr Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, Senior Partner, KPMG Ghana, advised the graduates to be ambassadors of positive change and always strive to make positive contributions to society.

‘You need to think, dream, and act positively in any corner you find yourself in to be successful in life,’ he said.

He encouraged the graduates to be deliberate in making change happen and use the knowledge acquired to make a positive impact on the country and beyond.

Dr John Boiquaye, the best graduating student from the School of Graduate Studies, thanked the University for the honour and pledged to use the knowledge gained to benefit humanity.

Dr Boiquaye, who graduated with a total grade point average of 3.90 in his PhD in Mathematics, said patience, perseverance, and dedication were key to success.

Source: Ghana News Agen
cy