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Govt donates Veronica buckets, face masks to churches, churches
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday presented quantities of hand washing items to the Muslim and Christian communities to enable their members observe good hygiene in their places of worship.
The donations follow the partial lifting of the restrictions on social gatherings to enable Christians and Muslims to gather and worship in small groups.
The items are 9 ,900 sets of Veronica buckets which include water containers, metal stands, waste water collectors as well as, 9,900 nose masks, 19,800 bottles of liquid soap, 19,800 bottles of hand sanitisers and 9,900 paper tissues.
The office of the National Chief Imam, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Shia Muslim Community, Ghana Muslim Mission, Tijania Muslim Community and Tijania Muslim Council received a total of 2,500 sets of items.
The Christian Community also got 7,400 sets of the items to be distributed among the Christian Council of Ghana, Ghana Pentecostal Churches Council, Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Independent Churches Association of Ghana, National Clergy Association of Ghana, Seventh Day Adventist Church, National Association of Charismatic Churches Council and the United Prayer Network.
Presenting the items on behalf of President Akufo-Addo, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, said the government has plans to distribute 50,000 sets of similar items to the churches and mosques in the various districts in the country.
The presentation is a gift of appreciation from President Akufo-Addo in recognition of the prayers, support and understanding by the religious groups since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, she said.
She said in the President’s 10th broadcast on measures to fight the pandemic, the suspension of religious gatherings was lifted to enable believers gather in small groups and worship.
She appealed to religious bodies to observe strict hygiene protocols and social distancing arrangements to avoid communal spread of the virus.
The minister said the donations are expected to help churches and mosques in the washing of their hands and also help prevent the spread of the pandemic when they start their services.
Receiving the items, the Apostle General of the Royal House Chapel, Rev. Sam Korankyi Ankrah, who stood in for Archbishop Duncan Williams, and the Personal Assistant to the National Chief Imam, Alhaji M. Khuzaima, thanked the President for the gesture, saying that the presentation would go a long way to help their members to observe the protocols.
BY YAW KYEI
Madam Sandra Seyram Kpedor, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Anloga in the Volta Region, has emphasised the importance of parental involvement in children’s education, stating that education is free, but parents need to do more to support their children.
She said parents, teachers, and students must be involved in addressing the challenges facing the district’s education sector, particularly the poor Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results.
Madam Kpedor outlined some key roles parents should play to promote their children’s education, including providing a conducive learning environment, monitoring their children’s progress, and supporting teachers.
The DCE highlighted some challenges the district faced such as inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of teachers, which have also contributed to the poor BECE results and called on well-to-do parent to help solve the situation through and other supports.
To address the issues, she also announced that plans have been taken to utilise the district’s common fund to implement educational projects, such as constructing school blocks and teachers’ bungalows at Sodzi community, and 2-unit classroom blocks each at Akplorwutorkor and Tegbi-Afedome respectively, among others.
Madam Kpedor also noted that her office had earlier notified the Ministry of Education to deploy more teachers to the area to improve teaching and learning, and encouraged students to work hard and strive for excellence, and work beyond their limit to succeed.
“To my wonderful and beautiful girls, you have to know it clear that women and girls have equal opportunities to compete with men for greater achievements,” she indicated.
The DCE cited her own achievement as a testament to the fact that women can excel in leadership positions, alongside Vice President Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and stressed that girls were no longer limited to domestic roles but can pursue their dreams and become leaders.
Additionally, she mentioned that a meeting was held earlier with assembly members, and other stakeholders to address the district’s educational challenges and improve academic performance.
She promised that the district’s education oversight committee and stakeholders would work together to address the challenges and improve the district’s BECE results and called for parental involvement and support to boost the district’s education sector for children to chase their dreams to become future leaders for the success of the district and the nation.
She urged parents not to leave everything to the government but rather help in the provision of some necessary materials such as textbooks, exercise books, pens, pencils, food, and guidance to children for the successes of young learners. –GNA
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The spokesperson for Dr. Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has criticised the implementation of the NDC government’s No Fee Stress policy, arguing that the programme has failed to deliver on its core promise.
According to him on Starr fm, the policy, which was introduced to ensure stress free payment of fees for level 100 tertiary students, has rather turned into what he described as post stress support.
He explained that students are required to pay their fees first before applying for reimbursement, a situation he believes defeats the purpose of the policy.
He questioned claims by government officials that the policy has been successful and that citizens are happy.
In his view, such claims do not reflect the lived realities of many Ghanaians. He stressed that while some people may appear satisfied, many others continue to struggle.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye pointed to the situation of trained teachers and nurses who have been picketing for nearly six months, demanding employment.
He noted that government responses suggesting it cannot accommodate all of them contradict claims of economic stability.
He further argued that economic indicators such as a stable currency mean little to people who are unable to secure jobs or access promised support.
He observed that telling an unemployed teacher or a struggling student that the cedi has strengthened does not address their immediate challenges.
On the issue of tertiary education, he maintained that no level 100 student benefited from stress free fees in 2025, despite the policy being announced.
He added that in 2026, students have already reported to school without receiving the promised support.
He insisted that asking students to pay fees first and seek reimbursement later amounts to support after hardship, not stress free education.
According to him, this approach goes against what was promised during the policy announcement.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye questioned why a government that presents the economy as strong is unable to fulfil what he described as simple and clear promises.
He added that there is a fundamental problem with the way the economy is being managed and indicated that he is prepared to explain his position further.
By: Jacob Aggrey
