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Govt undertakes disinfection exercise of 112 basic schools in Savannah Region
The disinfecting of basic schools in the Savannah Region would help assuage fears in both the pupils and the teachers in the region as a result of the coronavirus disease.
The Deputy Director, Supervision of Education, West-Gonja District in the Savannah Region, Katribi Dramani, made the observation during the disinfection of Yipala Junior High School (JHS) in the West-Gonja District.
With the disinfection exercise in the Savannah Region underway, both the final-year JHS pupils and teachers would be motivated and have confidence to report to school on June 29, to prepare for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE), he said.
In this regard, he commended Zoomlion Ghana Limited for partnering the central government to have all basic schools in the country disinfected.
According to Mr Dramani, many of the teachers and pupils became even more excited when they got wind of the news that Zoomlion was coming to disinfect basic schools in the region.
Zoomlion, he indicated, started the exercise on June 18, adding that they have been able to disinfect about 74 basic schools out of 112 in the district.
He also said that the ministry of education was putting in place measures to help protect the final-year JHS pupils against the COVID-19 disease.
Consequently, he cautioned the final-year pupils to adhere strictly to the President’s directives on the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the view of Mr Dramani, the e-learning approach adopted by many of the schools in the region did not have much impact.
He attributed this to the fact that many of the pupils and their parents did not have the necessary tools to support e-learning.
He, thus, advised the pupils to fully cooperate with their teachers throughout the period they will be studying to write their final year examinations.
Meanwhile, heads of basic schools in the region were happy with the disinfection exercise in their schools.
According to them, the exercise was critical because it would not only keep their schools’ spaces and facilities safe, but equally protect their final-year JHS pupils to prepare and write their exit examinations, safe from the virus.
The headmaster of Larabanga JHS B, Mr Saaka Dauda Laward, could not hide his joy, and thus praised the government and Zoomlion for the exercise.
“I am very excited to see the government engage Zoomlion to disinfect my school,” he expressed.
He used the opportunity to appeal to philanthropists and corporate institutions in the region to support his school with Veronica buckets, nose masks and alcohol-based hand sanitisers.
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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