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4,500 Accra basic schools undergo disinfection by Zoomlion
Ahead of the reopening of Basic Schools on Monday, June 29, 2020, Zoomlion Ghana Limited yesterday began a nationwide disinfection of schools to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning activities to take place.
The waste management company was expected to disinfect 4,500 schools in the Greater Accra Region alone before next week Monday, Mr Ernest Morgan Acquah, Greater Accra General Manager of Zoomlion told journalists in an interview.
This, he said, was in line with government’s directives to ensure the health and safety of basic school pupils and teachers.
It is recalled that academic activities in basic schools in Ghana came to a halt few months ago, in the wake of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, also known as (COVID-19).
Since then, some schools started online teaching with the aim to cover the syllabi for the third term.
More than 500,00,000 final year pupils sitting for the 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) are expected back in school next Monday to prepare for the examination which begins in September.
Zoomlion, is therefore, expected to complete spraying of classrooms, staff common rooms, library, washrooms and premises of beneficiary schools by Sunday, June 28, 2020.
At Christ Ebenezer Preparatory School, Mrs Rita Ofosu Yeboah, General Manager of the school said reopening of basic schools could help prepare the final year students for the upcoming BECE examination, noting that most pupils from that school did not participate in online learning introduced by other schools during the lockdown.
On observance of preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19, she said management had already educated Parents’ Teacher Association (PTA) and pupils on social distancing, hand washing with soap and use of face masks.
She said the school was waiting to receive face masks, alcohol-based sanitisers and paper tissue.
But the story was different at the Odorkor SDA Basic School with Mr Theo Mensah, a teacher at the school stating that Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) such as Veronica buckets, liquid soap, hand sanitisers and paper tissue had been procured for use by pupils and teachers from Monday, June 29, 2020.
Mr Abdul Wahab Haruna, a teacher at Odorkor “7” Basic School told journalists he was glad that government had fulfilled its promise to disinfect basic schools prior to the resumption of academic activities.
Zoomlion Ghana Limited had earlier this year, carried out disinfection of markets, lorry stations, drains, schools including specialised facilities such as the Akropong School for the Blind, universities, senior high schools, technical institutions and many others.
The company was executing the project under the auspices of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
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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