News
Abubakar Zico Newton changing educational narrative in Madina Zongo
Chancing on a report indicating that people with pre-school experience were likely to be in school far more than those without pre-school education was the spark Ishaq Abubakar Zico Newton needed to turn around the fortunes of young people in Madina Zongo.
Growing up in the same community where pre-school was not valued as he himself was not a beneficiary, Ishaq Abubakar Zico Newton decided to change the narrative of the children with the help of his mother’s already established foundation.
The foundation started on the compound of his home as an afternoon classes for children in the community.
“It was the brainchild of my aunt who never had the opportunity to go to school but always felt that education was going to be the game-changer in the near future.”
With this in mind, his aunt started a free after school classes in the afternoon.
The classes helped children with their home works as their parents could neither read nor write. This single act by his aunt really impacted the lives of most children in the community.
“My mother took over after the death of my aunty when she returned from Germany and thought it wise to create a foundation around it. She named it ‘Mother for all Foundation.’’’
She later took the foundation to another level by supporting the foundation with books for the children and paying the teacher to continue the afternoon classes.
In 2010, King Zico, as he is affectionately called in the community, felt the need to support his mother’s idea and take the foundation a notch higher.
With his educational background, he turned it into a pre-school for children in Madina Zongo where children from the ages of two to five years have access to free pre-school education.
Currently, there are about 250 children in the school which initially started with only two children.
“The goal of the foundation is to educate and also help improve on the educational standard of the people within Madina Zongo,” he said.
According to Mr Newton, most of the people supporting the foundation were beneficiaries of the afternoon classes started by his aunt.
He said the foundation embarked on several projects including a ‘Readcamp’ aimed at enhancing the literacy skills of school pupils, a play-based training programme for educators and facilitators with innovative tools to transform classrooms.
“Other projects included mask up and sanitise campaign and covid-19 food relief project,” he stated.
He said that over the period of eight years, close to thousand youths and children have had their lives transformed through the foundation.
Background
Zico loves to describe himself as Zongo boy who at a point realised that actors of change are community people who wish to see the change in their communities.
He grew up from a very deprived family where he and his siblings as well as friends had to go look for mangoes in the bush and sell.
At other times “we looked for ‘alumi’ in the gutters and in people’s homes and at times we have just pick peoples cooking utensils at their blind side, crash them and sell,” adding that “that was how we survived.”
Education
King Zico never had a pre-school experience. He started school at Gospel International School in Madina Estates. After owing so much in terms of fees, he secured a scholarship from the school.
This followed the headmaster’s decision to allow him attend the school for free because it was obvious he couldn’t pay.
He move from there to the Faith Community Baptist School where he had my Junior High School (JHS) education
King Zico continued to the West African Secondary School (WASS) but could not write the final examination because “my name was synonymous to school fees arrears.”
King Zico later registered for Nov/ Dec and continued to the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) now University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) where he studied Diploma in Business Studies (DBS) with accounting option.
“I was of the hope that I will be able to secure a job with the certificate, but unfortunately, I did not, so I ended up on the streets again and did some basic jobs and finally enrolled myself into the African University College of Communication.’’
Hobby
At his spare time, King Zico loves to listen to music and enjoys rice and stew at any given time.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Muslims across the country celebrated this year’s Eid-ul-Adha in a colourful and spiritually uplifting atmosphere under the theme, “A Season of Sacrifice, Solidarity and Spiritual Renewal.”
The celebration brought together Muslims from diverse backgrounds in a remarkable display of faith, unity and cultural heritage.
The occasion was marked by special Eid prayers at various designated grounds, the slaughtering of rams in homes for sharing among family members, friends and the less privileged, as well as musical concerts and recreational activities including horse riding.
Leading the celebration was the Chief Imam, Dr Sheikh Osman Sharubutu.
While the national celebration was held at the Black Star Square where President John Dramani Mahama was the Special Guest of Honour, similar gatherings took place at different centres across the capital and other regions of the country.
A visit by The Spectator to some celebration grounds revealed Muslims, both young and old, elegantly dressed in colourful jalabiya and other Islamic attire, reflecting the rich culture and traditions of the Muslim community.
The celebration also portrayed the spirit of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country, as a number of Christians joined their Muslim counterparts to mark the occasion.
Muslim leaders and government officials used the opportunity to call on the faithful to uphold the teachings of the Holy Quran, renew their spiritual commitment and refrain from acts capable of undermining the peace, unity and security of the nation.
They further urged Ghanaians to continue to live in harmony and support one another for national development.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Dear Obaa Yaa,
During Eid-ul- Adha celebration, I decided to spend the weekend at my boyfriend’s place since we were planning towards our marriage.
To my surprise, what keeps me wide awake, restless and frustrated every single time is that he snores loudly like a generator running on full power, and I genuinely cannot get any rest
At a point, I thought it was just a normal thing, but I have realised it is something he does with ease and doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
When he steps out in the morning, I try to get enough sleep because I may not sleep in the evening.
The most annoying thing is that, he always wants to cuddle me. These two things are a no for me and a red flag.
We are about to get married, what should I do?
Enam, Keta.
Dear Enam,
The snoring and constant cuddling are frustrating, but you don’t have to choose between sleep and closeness.
Start with the snoring: check if it’s worse when he sleeps on his back, cut out alcohol before bed, try nasal strips or a humidifier, and see a doctor if he pauses while breathing.
For quick relief, foam earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones help a lot.
Separate blankets, a bigger bed, or sleeping apart on some nights often makes couples rest well and feel closer overall.
Bring this up before the wedding .Tell him you want to wake up next to him for years to come, but sleep deprivation makes you both miserable.
Test earplugs and side-sleeping this weekend, and if it’s still unbearable, bring in a doctor. Good sleep matters more for your marriage than staying glued together all night.
