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C/R Minister commends school heads for COVID-19 combat readiness
The Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has commended senior high schools in the region for the preparations they have put in place to welcome final year SHS students as well as SSS two ( gold track) students.
He said “per what I have seen so far, the schools are ready and we urged both students and teachers to comply with the established protocols.”
Mr Duncan expressed this when he toured some senior high schools in the Cape Coast metropolis to acquaint himself with health protocols instituted to keep the students safe from the COVID-19.
He was accompanied by the Central Regional Police Commander, Commissioner of Police (COP) Paul Manly Awini, the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Akosua Sarpong and the Regional Director of Education, Mrs Martha Agyemang.
The visit was to have first hand information on their level of preparedness for welcoming both final year SHS students as well as form two students on the gold track.
Some of the schools visited were Wesley Girls School, Holy Child School, Adisadel College, St Augustine’s College, Academy of Christ the King, and Aggrey Memorial Zion School.
Mr Duncan indicated that placing of Veronica buckets, taking of temperature of students and record of parents, among other things, by the schools meant that the heads of the schools were not taking chances.
He further reiterated the government’s commitment in supporting the schools to create a conducive atmosphere to prevent the spread of the virus in the institutions.
The regional minister urged the heads of all schools not to relent on their oars as the nation adopts measures to halt the spread of the pandemic.
Mr Duncan commended the regional directors of health and education for their efforts at sensitising people on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, he expressed appreciation to COP Awini for ensuring the enforcement of the various safety protocols put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.
Mr Duncan applied to media practitioners and journalists in the region to avoid sensationalism and also crosscheck information before publishing such.
All the heads of the various SHS visited indicated that they were adequately prepared to welcome the form three SHS students as well as the form two students on the gold track.
“We are ready to welcome our students to campus since we have received our face masks, Veronica buckets, sanitisers and thermometer guns” the headmistress of the Holy Child, Mrs Anastasia Thomford Okyere said.
She said, as of 3:30 p.m. on Monday, a total of 480 students had arrived at the school, adding that the school was expecting 439 and 343 form three and forms two students respectively.
For her part, the headmistress for Wesley Girls High School, Mrs Kay Oppong Nkrumah said that the school had put in place strict protocols on campus to ensure that the students were protected.
At the Mfantsipim School, the headmaster, Rev. Ebenezer Aidoo, told the minister and his team that the school had made provision for all staff to pass through a designated point of entry which, he said, would result in the registering of all students before they would be allowed to enter the school.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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