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1,729 basic schools in Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions undergo disinfection
In an effort to protect pupils in basic schools against the coronavirus disease, Zoomlion Ghana Limited on Monday, begun disinfecting both public and private basic schools in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions.
The exercise, which will last for about a week, will cover 1,729 basic schools in the three regions.
Speaking to journalists, the Regional Director of Education, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, Dr Peter Attefuah, urged parents to allay the fears of their children that when they return to school they would contract COVID-19.
He assured that measures were in place to protect the students and pupils against the COVID-19 attack.
With observation of social and physical distancing, he said, each SHS class would accommodate a maximum of 25 students.
In this regard, Dr Attefuah advised parents to provide their children with all that they would need on campus, insisting that “visitors would not be allowed for the period that they will be on campus till they finish writing their exit final paper.”
He also charged parents to buy nose masks in addition to the three the government would be giving to every student.
He, therefore, implored the students to comply with all the COVID-19 safety protocols.
At Nkwabeng, a suburb of Sunyani in the Bono Region, which was the first port of call, a crew of six Zoomlion field officers with knapsack sprayers disinfected the Boanhen Korko A/B Presby Model, a cluster of Presbyterian schools.
And here classrooms from kindergartens (KGs), lower primary and the JHSs were all disinfected.
For his part, the Regional Manager of Presbyterian Schools for the three regions – Mr Eugene Laryea – announced that the schools had already put measures in place to protect their pupils, noting that they had all bought “Veronica buckets, soaps and also alcohol-based hand sanitisers which would be made available to the pupils when they resume.”
According to him, the schools also formed task-forces whose responsibility would be to enforce the COVID-19 protocols amongst the pupils.
He, therefore, urged parents to ensure that they prepare food for their children to bring along when they were coming to school.
The Writer Bureau Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Robert Kwaku Adjei, revealed that the disinfection of about 65 senior high schools (SHSs) in the three regions (Bono, Bono East and Ahafo) would start today.
He said already his outfit had disinfected 30 tertiary institutions in the three regions.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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