Editorial
Prevent youth from excessive gambling
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Young people are increasingly becoming hooked to gambling, and once they do, it may be difficult for them to stop since they may view it as a quick method to get money or a way to reduce their anxiety symptoms.
Participating in a game or activi¬ty where you risk money or a valued item in the hopes of winning money is referred to as gambling.
Some young people gamble, through lotteries, betting, card games, casino games, bingo, and other activities, for fun, excitement, or financial gain, but others do it to escape from stress.
The Spectator is concerned about youths who gamble too much. Some claim that gambling helps them become more perceptive, helps them learn skills while playing, and keeps their brains engaged.
However, appealing as it may seem, gambling has a number of drawbacks since it raises the risk of the youth disengaging from friends, family, and school or engaging in risky behaviour that results in psy¬chological and behavioural prob¬lems.
In addition, it may also result in low self-esteem, criminal activity, domestic violence, tension, and even suicidal thoughts.
In light of this, The Spectator backs the acting Amomole chief and head of the Okortsoshishi family in James Town, Accra, who pleaded with the authorities, the clergy, and the chiefs to take drastic action to curtail youths’ excessive gambling and betting.
He claimed that it was normal to see the numerous gaming and gambling establishments packed to the gills with students and idle adolescents.
He warned that it might endan¬ger their future.
Nii Ashittey Tetteh made the appeal recently, during the Homowo festival celebrations by the Okort¬soshishi families from both home and abroad.
He claimed that if the govern¬ment gave these idle young people employable and self-sustaining work, the problem of gambling addiction might be reduced or even eliminat¬ed. He complained that “some use their school fees to gamble.”
Such a family get-together during the Homowo celebrations, according to Nii Ashittey Tetteh, provided an ideal opportunity to educate the youth about the perils of gambling and other vices including stealing, using drugs, prostitution, and other social vices.
The Spectator wants to reaffirm its call to the government, Non-gov¬ernmental organisations (NGOs), philanthropists, and religious author¬ities to monitor youth activity.
We implore young people to take up new hobbies, like sports, to keep them busy and to participate in oth¬er physical activities that will keep them engaged.
Editorial
No life should be lost over allegations
Dear Editor,
The recent death of Nana Yaw, also known as Dinero/Terry, has left various communities deeply shaken over the circumstances under which a life was lost.
Reports suggest that he went missing after a phone transaction in Teshie and was later found dead. Allegations have circulated that he visited a female friend despite having a pregnant wife at home.
Even if such allegations were true, does that mean he deserved to die? The answer is no. Infidelity is a moral failing, but it is not a crime punishable by death. To suggest otherwise is to normalize violence and diminish the value of human life.
This tragedy should remind us of the urgent need for justice and accountability. His family especially his expectant wife deserves compassion, not judgment. As a community, we must reject victim‑blaming and focus on preventing such senseless losses in the future.
Nana Yaw’s death is not just a personal tragedy, it is a call to action.
We must demand thorough investigation, ensure those responsible are held accountable, and commit ourselves to building a society where disagreements and mistakes do not end in violence.
Princess Wonovi,
Dansoman
Editorial
Take quick action to rebuild Percheyire R/C Basic School
The situation at Percheyire R/C Basic School in the Yilo Krobo district is a warning concerning Ghana’s rural education facilities as pupils in Primary four through six are forced to learn inside a building of mud walls, worn-out roofing sheets, and rotting wooden pillars.
It is more than just an infrastructural shortfall. It indicates a fundamental failing of public safety and educational justice.
Every day, when pupils and teachers arrive at school, their safety is in danger because a school building has such fundamental flaws that it could collapse during a storm.
The classroom is now a hazard rather than a haven for learning for the 30 upper primary pupils and their teachers. A single extreme weather event could cause a mud construction to fall dangerously because it depends on makeshift timber pillars.
These children are routinely deprived of the instructional hours that the national curriculum promises them when the arrival of rain inevitably necessitates the suspension of classes to save lives, books, and furniture.
A deeper systemic problem is revealed when Rev. Elizabeth Korasare, a former teacher, reveals that this identical arrangement has not changed in 38 years.
Some proponents contend that local government institutions like the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the District Assembly are solely to blame for the main failure. Actual rehabilitation has been postponed due to administrative inactivity, despite official site visits and reports submitted by the school administration.
According to this viewpoint, there is a problem with the way emergency educational funds are allocated and prioritised when a community school is left in a dangerous condition for decades while waiting for budgetary allocations.
This point of view highlights the necessity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and public-private collaborations. When state machinery fails, supporters contend that combining corporate money with citizen mobilisation provides a more flexible way to replace deteriorating structures.
It is a pity that Percheyire R/C Basic School’s surrounding infrastructure worsens the school’s structural deterioration. Children travelling from nearby communities like Togodo are severely restricted in their access due to an inadequate road network.
When more than 60 school-aged children in a single nearby town are cut off from regular attendance due to distance and bad roads, the school’s capacity to raise the district is substantially limited. A contemporary classroom block will only be successful if students can get there safely.
The lives of Percheyire’s pupils and teachers are at risk, therefore the Spectator is pleading with the Yilo Krobo District Assembly and other interested parties to rebuild the primary block.




