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Adopt innovative ways in making the classroom interactive, Teachers, headteachers urged
The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has admonished heads of schools and teachers to adopt innovative ways of making the classroom receptive and interactive for students.
He said creating such atmosphere apart from yielding greater learning outcomes also helped in forging a sense of belongingness among the students thereby helping them realise their full potential.
“We students walk into our classrooms, walk into our schools and they don’t feel like they belong, they develop their perception about what the teacher is thinking about them. But if they feel belonging and belongingness is there, even if you scold them, they think you care about them and that is why you are telling them what to do and not to do,” he explained.
Dr Adutwum made the call at the opening of the 12th Teaching and learning conference organised under the auspices of The Educators Network (TEN) in collaboration with the Lincoln Community School (LCS) in Accra on Saturday.
This year’s conference which witnessed more than 500 participants- teachers and headteachers from across the country was on the theme: “Belonging”.
The theme: “Belonging found expression in the Ghanaian wax print “Kwadusawuo” or “Bunch of bananas” which reflects individual single bananas intricately weaved and growing together.
Dr Adutwum said education continued to be a major pillar in the development agenda of the government and the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was investing massively in the sector to ensure that students received the kind of education that would enable them to cope with the demands of the 21st century.
He said in addition, to providing the needed infrastructure, the government was also focusing on teacher development since teachers were very critical in the attainment of quality education outcomes.
“Most of our children come from challenging environments and if we want them to have opportunities to be able to experience what the majority in other societies in the advanced economies were experiencing then we have to be creative by creating a different learning environment,” he said.
Dr Adutwum said the time had come for teachers to begin to look at diversity as part of schools and realise that the children were from diverse homes and create an environment that made them feel integrated.
The Head of School at LCS, Ms Lesley Tait explained that the choice of this year’s theme and the use of the wax print was to demonstrate how belonging helped each member of a group developed together.
She said just as the banana never grew individually by itself, so it was that no individual could develop all by him or herself, stressing that “Like the Kwadu, those of us, all of us in the hall this morning that work in education know that together we can achieve anything that we put our minds on.”
She said at the LCS, together they were working to ensure that students experienced a sense of belonging in the classroom every day.
Ms Tait said the education environment had changed a lot across the world with the focus changing from teaching to learning.
“Schools and Education systems have survived a worldwide pandemic like none that we have ever seen before. With online learning in education becoming the norm,” she added.
Some of the topics participants were taken through were, ‘Powerful Literacy Teaching Through Inquiry and Play’, ‘Creating an Atmosphere of Mathematical Thinkers’, and ‘Supporting Struggling Readers and Writers’.
By Cliff Ekuful
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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ASOHOM organises fundraising gala to protect Ghana’s water resources, support vulnerable communities
The Association of Spouses of Heads of Missions and International Organisations (ASOHOM) last Friday held the 2026 edition of its annual Charity Gala, at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra under the theme ‘Woven Currents.’
It was attended by members of the diplomatic and international community, distinguished guests, corporate partners, and artists, friends of Ghana and supporters of ASOHOM’s charitable mission.
What was supposed to be a fundraiser turned into a perfect platform to celebrate friendship, culture and creativity.
Water was at the heart of this year’s message, said Sovanna Taliercio President, ASOHOM and Chairperson of its Fundraising Committee.
“Through art, music and live performance, the gala highlighted the vital connection between water, life and our shared future, while drawing attention to the importance of protecting Ghana’s water resources and supporting sustainable solutions for vulnerable communities,” a statement signed by Ms Taliercio said.
The evening featured a remarkable exhibition of Ghanaian contemporary art, live performances, an auction and raffle, alongside an elegant dinner and opportunities for guests to connect and support the cause.
She expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of the event— sponsors, artists, performers, partners, volunteers, ASOHOM members and, most importantly, every guest who chose to support its cause.
“Our fundraising efforts are ultimately about more than one evening. They are about transforming generosity into tangible support for communities in need. The funds raised through ASOHOM’s charitable initiatives will contribute to projects aligned with our humanitarian priorities and our commitment to supporting meaningful and sustainable development in Ghana,” she said.
She expressed pride at what ASOHOM represents: a community of women and men from across the diplomatic and international community who come together beyond their official roles to build bridges, strengthen partnerships and give back to the country we are privileged to call home.
She said the success of ‘Woven Currents’ was a testament to the power of collaboration, compassion and collective action and reminds that with togetherness, small contributions can create lasting impact.
By Spectator Reporter
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