Editorial
Advice to National Service Personnel
Service to the country
Each year thousands of youth from the tertiary institutions across the country serve the motherland, Ghana, in diverse fields as a national requirement. The 2022- 2023 National Service year began in earnest and many young people are busy registering to fulfill this national assignment. It is a joyful moment for most of them especially the first timers to start a formal sort of work to gain working experience and hope to earn some allowances monthly. Indeed, most of us can vividly recount those moments with much relish, however, it is without some challenges just like any normal life situation. Some secured permanent jobs out of it, others can also point fingers to something positive they did at the end of their National Service while others too would forever regret that period of their lives.
If l remember very well, some challenges we had to battle with some 18 years back was the persistent delay in receiving our meagre allowances. As a result of this ritual, we changed the name from National Service to “National Suffering” because of the struggle to feed especially those of us posted to faraway places from our home regions.
There are some things associated with this national exercise l wish to share with the prospective personnel that prompted me to write this article when l saw hundreds of young people at Upper East Regional National Service Secretariat happily registering to commence their mandatory service.
My first piece of advice to them is to have purpose of tenacity. After National Service what next? Therefore, your plan for beginning, continuation and ending. I am quite sure most of them are first timers in formal workplace. Be positive minded imbued with humility, respect to authority, eschew laziness and ready to learn. Even if you meet the cleaner on the stairs, accord them the respect due them because they have practical working experience than you.
Most importantly, you have to plan your financial life very very well. It is quite important for those of you from poor background. At this moment your parents and siblings expect one form of support or the other from you. Don’t think you have arrived and start spending lavishly like Arabian Kings and Queens anytime you receive your monthly allowance. To my young brothers in particular, be mindful of the demands from the girls for expensive items like IPhone, Brazilian hair, expensive lunch packs, etc. Remember the economy is in shambles currently as we are struggling to put body and soul, together.
Constantly and deliberately save a percentage of your monthly allowance so that the period when it doesn’t come as expected you can fall on it to sustain yourself. You would appreciate the fact that it pays to save.
My final and passionate advice to you all young National Service Personnel is to start generating business ideas and be able to settle on one by the end of the service period. As soon as you finish, tap into your savings and invest wisely upon the consultation with the experts in that field. The statistics, l amnot quite sure but less than 10 percent of personnel secure job immediately after completing their National Service.
The current unemployment situation in the country is a frightening one. I remember, a sister in one of our conversations, jokingly said if you are not careful you will move with application letters from office to office until your shoes are worn- out and you may not even get money to buy new ones. A word to the wise is enough.
By Godwin Anthony Godwin
Public Relations Officer
Regional Coordinating Council U/E Region
Dear Editor,
The recent shooting to death of Javits Frimpong, a 15 year old Ghanaian student in Bronx, USA, is a heartbreaking reminder that bullying should never be dismissed as a normal part of growing up.
Reports indicate that the teenager had allegedly been subjected to bullying at school before he was fatally shot on his way to class.
While investigations continue and the exact motive yet to be officially established, the circumstances surrounding this tragedy have raised serious concerns about the impact of not checking bullying.
What makes this loss even more painful is that Javits Frimpong, had moved from Ghana to the United States with hopes of a brighter future through education. Instead, his life was cut short at an age when he should have been pursuing his dreams and preparing for adulthood.
Bullying is often viewed as harmless teasing, but its effects can be severe and long-lasting. Victims may suffer emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, poor academic performance, and, in extreme cases, become entangled in violence.
This incident should serve as a wake-up call to schools everywhere. Complaints of bullying must be taken seriously, investigated promptly, and addressed decisively before situations escalate.
Parents, teachers, school authorities, and community leaders all share a responsibility to create safe environments for young people.
Open communication, counselling services, anti-bullying education, and effective disciplinary measures can help protect vulnerable students.
Equally important is teaching young people respect, empathy, and peaceful conflict resolution.
As we mourn the loss of Javits Frimpong, let us also commit ourselves to ensuring that no other child loses their life because warning signs were ignored. The fight against bullying is not merely a school issue; it is a societal responsibility.
Yours faithfully,
Dansoman
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The recent report that 294 teenage girls in the Ayawaso West Municipality failed to receive their Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a depressing reminder of the gap between medical progress and public trust.
In a focused campaign with 997 girls the Roman Ridge Sub-Municipal Health Directorate reached a 70 percent coverage rate. Our public health professionals deserve praise for reaching 703 girls, but the remaining 30 percent pose a serious threat.
This shortfall is not due to a lack of institutional effort, logistics, or resources. The directorate had sufficient logistics, as highlighted by Public Health Nurse Patience Adoli Kporxah. Rather, the barrier was completely human: a lack of parental approval.
In Ghana, one of the top causes of cancer-related mortality for women is still cervical cancer. Ironically, it is also one of the most avoidable. The HPV vaccine is widely acknowledged as a safe, highly effective barrier that, when given early, can prevent up to 90 percent of cervical cancers.
Parents are unknowingly leaving their daughters vulnerable to a virus that they will probably come into contact with in the future by withholding approval.
This initiative was not initiated in secret by the health directorate. They coordinated with churches, mosques, and media outlets, spoke at Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, and sent letters to schools as part of their broad public outreach efforts. However, around 300 parents continued to withhold their signatures in spite of these multi-dimensional approaches.
Why is this resistance still present? Fear, cultural taboos, and false information about vaccines and reproductive health on the internet are the main causes of vaccine hesitation rather than an intent to hurt a child. When a vaccination is administered to young teenagers in schools, it may cause unjustified concerns about fertility and sexuality.
Our public health initiatives need to change in order to close this gap before the November and December phases.
Letters and the mass media are important, but they are unable to provide precise, worried answers. During PTA meetings, health staff could think about holding direct question and answer sessions so parents may express their worries without fear of being judged.
In order to normalise the vaccine, community elders, religious leaders, and reputable local physicians must do more than simply impart knowledge; they must openly support it.
We must present the HPV vaccine as a standard, life-saving cancer prevention tool that is now completely incorporated into Ghana’s regular immunisation programme.
The entrance is still open, according to public health officials. Daughters who did not participate in the school-based activity can still get the vaccination at no cost by taking them to any government health institution.
We must work together to prevent cervical cancer in the future generation. The infrastructure, education, and dosages have been supplied by public health teams. The trust must now be provided by the parents of Ayawaso West and Ghana as a whole.
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