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SDA College of Education, Koforidua climaxes 60th anniversary with durbar
• Dr Cecilia Ofosua Odame (left), Pastor Prof. T.T. Ocran (middle) and
Mr. Seth Acheampong (right) posed for the camera after the programme
The SDA College of Education 60th anniversary celebration was climaxed with a durbar at Asokore near Koforidua last Sunday.
The theme for the one week programme was “60 years of Adventist Teacher Education in Ghana: Our Success, Our Challenges and the way Forward.”
The Acting Principal, Dr Cecilia Ofosua Odame recounted the numerous infrastructural development going on in the college and paid a glowing tribute to the government especially President Akufo-Addo for responding swiftly to their request for the fixing of the deplorable roads of the college.
According to her, the government through the Ministry of Highways had completed the first phase of the college’s 4.55 km road network and announced that the government had again released funds for the completion of college administration block and the ongoing 16- unit tutors quarters. Dr Cecilia Odame said that the college was established in 1962 with only 120 students but currently the student population was over 2,400 but lacked lecture theatres, and transportation for both students and tutors.
She, therefore, appealed to the government, philanthropists, NGOs and old students to provide the school with adequate and well equipped theatres or lecture halls, a 60 seater bus and a 16- seater minibus to cater for the current student population.
“It will go a long way to enable the college achieve its vision and mission for the building of the nation” she added.
Pastor Prof Robert Osei Bonsu, President of the West-Central African Division of the SDA Church, said the church had accepted the task of conveying to the world a message of God’s grace in establishing His ideas on earth.
The Minister of Education Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, in a speech read on his behalf said “education transforms lives and enables unimaginable development of persons and states and without it no one could beat poverty, diseases, marked inequalities and environmental degradation.”
SDA College of Education
He said no nation could account for quality education without accounting for the quality of its teachers and, therefore, called on colleges of education to adopt the 21st century skills such as, critical thinking, communication collaboration and creativity to enable the youth gain employment to develop the nation.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Seth Acheampong read President Akufo-Addo’s address while the President of the Southern Ghana Union Conference of the SDA, Pastor Dr T. T. Ocran chaired the programme.
By Spectator Reporter
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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