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A solid foundation for school kids
Falling standards? Why not? If you are not careful, you’ll mistake the teacher’s table for that of a very busy Makola trader. The trained teacher sells toffee, pencil, eraser, doughnut, meat-pie right in the classroom. We are thankful she doesn’t organise a chop bar in addition.
Anyhow, the school kids always thank the gods of Larteh that their teacher isn’t only a trained teacher but also a skilful trader in the kind of wares that gratify the palate of teens. They could always walk to the table of the teacher and pay for a piece of doughnut while lessons are in progress.
The teacher would as a matter of urgency suspend the lesson, serve the kid, dish out his change, dream about the day’s profit and ask the children to sing a song. Lessons close!
Half the time, such a teacher thinks only about profit margins and how to replenish stock. Sometimes she is discreet about her trade relations and does not expose her wares like a Kwahu merchant. Everything is under the table and children from other classes whose teachers are either males or do not have the Makola mentality also come and buy and interrupt lessons.
It would be one of the wonders of the world if a kid in such a classroom grows up to be a doctor of medicine unless Jesus Christ descends to rescue him from scholastic damnation.
Such teachers are ruining the future of Sikaman children and reports reaching Palava have it that they are now in their numbers. They are no longer fit to be called teachers and the right place for them is Makola or Kasoa Central Market. In fact, the solid foundation of the kids are often shattered irreparably and most of them would probably end up as taxi drivers and kebab specialists when they could become surgical specialists.
What about teachers who drink before classes?
For some, it is “raw quarter” before classes begin, and they sweat like labourers even when the weather is very cool. No kind of air-conditioner can calm their sweat glands. I bet akpeteshie is one hell of a drink.
When a teacher takes it “raw”, he laughs when he should be crying and cries when he should be laughing. If he is dancing adowa you’ll think it is agbadza. No formula at all!
I am happy the Education Service has plans to weed out drunken teachers, among others who are destroying the future of kids.
The story is told of a habitually drunken teacher. Once he looked visibly drunk when he started teaching his pupils about verbs and the fact that verbs are “doing words.”
He undertook to illustrate this in practical terms and started jumping. He was supposed to ask the question, “Children, what am I doing?” to which the kids would answer, “You are jumping.”
However, befuddled by the effect of “double quarters” of the stuff, he started jumping high enough and asked, “Children, what am I jumping?”
The kids were confused but managed to reply in alacrity, “You are doing!”
Anyone witnessing the lesson would have become very impressed with the performance of both teacher and pupils. If the witness were an agama lizard, it would have nodded its head again and again in appreciation and said to itself, “The kids have a very bright future.”
When I visited a few schools recently I was glad to meet Mrs Lucy Peprah, a product of the University of Ghana, Legon. She also holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Cape Coast in addition to a certificate in Educational Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Trek your way and get right between Abelenkpe and Alajo, in Accra, reaching quite near to Susubiribi Hotel and you are likely to spot “SOLID FOUNDATION Primary and JSS”. It is one of the schools that are properly run and the secret behind its glowing success is Mrs Lucy Peprah.
After having a chat with Mrs Peprah, one thing I became convinced about is that those who do not have adequate knowledge in education should not be allowed to establish private basic schools which have mushroomed all over the place, many of them hopelessly sub-standard.
In actual fact, basic schools should not be run by businessmen because they only think about profit and not what the children can get out of their educational units. Educationists of the calibre of Mrs Lucy Peprah or even a bit lower could be those who have to be granted permission to establish schools because, first and foremost, they know the value of education and know why and how education should be dispensed.
Having taught in many training colleges before finally becoming Principal of St Monica’s and Holy Child Training Colleges at Ashanti Mampong and Takoradi respectively, and having once been the Chairperson of the National Conference of Principals of Teacher Training Colleges, there can be no doubt that such an experienced person or her counterparts would run their schools as would make the pupils shine.
It is all evident in “Solid Foundation” which has the best of infrastructure comprising well-ventilated classrooms, a twelve-unit tiled WC toilet facility, a well-equipped science laboratory, language and computer centre, a modern Home-Science centre and workshop.
The teaching staff are well-motivated and this has reflected in the excellent academic performances of the school.
Mrs Peprah believes that discipline is a key to success and she instils it in both staff and pupils. And with an experienced educationist in the person of Mr Mark Yankey as Supervisor, the grand overall effect on the pupils is there for all to see.
She plans to start a Senior Secondary School within the next two years and the school would be offering courses in catering, home management and dressmaking.
“I think this woman is one person who should be useful to the Education Service as a think-tank on how to improve standards in our schools since her institution is one of the living examples of the ideal basic academy.”
Mrs Peprah said something that kept me thinking a bit. She is of the opinion that computers should not be taught at the basic level.
“It is a special area which should be left to the specialised schools.”
She also said, “I am not against the offshoot of private schools in the country. I only hope that they would lead to a healthy competition and not commercialisation.”
At a later date, I shall publish a full interview on her views on falling standards of education, the performance of public schools, the role of education officers and the success or otherwise of the educational reform programmes.
Meanwhile, Sikaman Palava lauds the intended move by the authorities to weed out teachers whose conduct are appalling due to alcoholism, absenteeism, speciality in seducing and impregnating school children, recruiting pupils to work on their farms, incompetence and any quality that is seen to be retrogressive to the forward march of the country’s educational system.
This article was first published on Saturday June 15, 1996
A woman who is accused of bolting with ‘susu’ money totaling GH₵156,445 has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
Martha Nana Esi Afful was alleged to have collected the money from 35 complainants.
Charged with 35 counts of fraudulent breach of trust, Martha, who was earlier remanded, pleaded not guilty.
The court, presided over by Mr Joseph Y. Kuunsong on Wednesday, admitted the accused person to a GH₵200,000 bail with two sureties.
One of the sureties, the court said, must be a public servant earning not less than GH₵5,000.
She is expected to reappear on August 12, 2026.
The Prosecution’s case before the court is that the complainants are traders and residents at La in Accra.
Prosecution described Martha as a ‘Susu’ collector, who resided at Burma Camp.
The court heard that the accused person run a business with the name ‘ZOE’ and she deceived the 35 complainants into believing that she collected ‘Susu’ daily, which was kept for a period of one-three years, and paid interest on the money invested.
The complainants contributed in 2023 for a three-year period, prosecution said.
In December 2025, when the complainants went to take their money with interest, Martha went into hiding and only took phone calls from a few complainants.
Prosecution said the accused provided a MTN Momo number through which a few of the complainants still paid monies.
It said all efforts made to collect the money, totaling GH₵156,445 from her, proved futile.
On June 14, 2026, a report was made to the police and Martha was picked up at a washing bay at Tse Addo.
During interrogation, she admitted the offence in her caution statement, saying she lost her husband and relocated to Swedru in the Central Region, hence the complainants were unable to reach her from December 2025 till date.
Prosecution said Martha further stated that she had invested the monies into refuse collection business and she needed time to pay the amount.
Police are investigating the claims. –GNA
A Public Health Nurse at the Roman Ridge Sub-Municipal of the Ayawaso West Health Directorate, Ms Patience Adoli Kporxah, has cautioned the public against coming into contact with floodwaters, warning that exposure can lead to serious diseases, infections and injuries.
Floodwater, she said, should always be treated as contaminated, regardless of how clean it appears, because it may contain sewage, human and animal waste, chemicals, fuel, sharp objects and disease-causing micro-organisms.
In an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Thursday, Ms Kporxah explained that contact with contaminated floodwater exposes people to bacteria, viruses, parasites, hazardous chemicals and other physical hazards that can result in illness or injury.
Her advice came in the wake of recent exposure to floodwater following Monday’s torrential rains that left vast areas of the capital flooded.
As a result, a lot of people were seen either ‘swimming’ in the floodwater to rescue people or retrieving items being washed away.
According to her, exposure to floodwater could cause skin infections, particularly where there are cuts or open wounds, as well as diarrhoea diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery and other forms of gastroenteritis if contaminated water was swallowed.
Other health risks, she said include hepatitis A, eye and ear infections, tetanus in people with untreated wounds or incomplete vaccination, and injuries from submerged sharp objects, debris or electrical hazards.
Ms Kporxah advised anyone who had contact with floodwater to monitor their health closely and seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, severe headache, muscle aches, skin rash, difficulty breathing, or yellowing of the eyes or skin.
She also urged people whose wounds became red, swollen, painful or begin to discharge pus, as well as those who accidentally swallow floodwater, to report to the nearest health facility without delay.
Although not everyone exposed to floodwater requires immediate treatment, she stressed that pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, individuals living with chronic illnesses and those with significant wounds should seek prompt medical evaluation.
On water safety, Ms Kporxah cautioned that rainwater was not automatically safe for drinking or cooking, especially during or after flooding. She explained that rainwater collected from roofs, gutters or open containers could be contaminated by bird and animal droppings, dust, leaves, bacteria, viruses, parasites and chemical pollutants.
She advised that rainwater intended for drinking should first be treated by boiling, chlorination or another approved water purification method before use.
Touching on food safety, Ms Kporxah said factory-sealed bottled drinks and canned foods with intact packaging might still be safe after flooding.
However, she stressed that any containers submerged in floodwater should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before handling. Foods in paper packaging, damaged containers or products with broken seals should be discarded because contaminated water may have seeped into them.
She further warned that flooding increases the risk of outbreaks of cholera, typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases through contaminated water sources.
In addition, she said flooding could contribute to respiratory illnesses in overcrowded shelters and mould-infested buildings, foodborne illnesses from spoiled or contaminated food, and mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress, depression and trauma.
It could also disrupt access to medicines and healthcare for people living with chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, asthma and kidney disease.
Ms Kporxah therefore urged the public to practice good hygiene, avoid unnecessary contact with floodwater, consume only safe food and drinking water, and seek medical attention promptly whenever symptoms develop.
She said observing these preventive measures would help minimise the risk of disease outbreaks and protect lives as the country continues to experience heavy rains and flooding in some communities.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
