News
“Dear GES, wake up”- Ketu North MP fires over Prospectus Ghana Deal
The Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Eric Edem Agbana, has taken a swipe at the Ghana Education Service (GES) over its handling of the controversy surrounding Prospectus Ghana Limited and the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTA).
In a statement on Monday morning, the MP said GES’s latest clarification press release “raises more questions than it answers.”
According to Mr. Agbana, the GES is increasingly becoming a liability to government due to its handling of key issues affecting teachers and parents.
“The GES is increasingly becoming a source of avoidable disaffection for our government. From the handling of teacher recruitments to issues of teacher’s promotion and others. We must not do things that erode the confidence people have in our government,” he said.
The MP is demanding that GES makes public its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Prospectus Ghana Limited, trading as EduPack PGL.
In its earlier statement, GES confirmed having an MoU with the company but insisted purchase of its products was strictly voluntary.
“If the GES says it has an MoU with Prospectus Ghana Limited, then publish the MoU. Ghanaians deserve to know exactly what was agreed, what products it covers, and what authority, if any, it gives Prospectus Ghana,” he demanded.
The legislator also questioned why Prospectus Ghana has been able to create the impression among schools and parents that its products are mandatory.
“More importantly, why has Prospectus Ghana consistently created the impression that it had an agreement to introduce or impose these items on parents and students if, according to the GES, purchases are strictly voluntary?,” he quizzed.
He further asked whether other educational vendors require similar MoUs to access schools, and if so, what the approval process is and who else has benefited.
“Do other sellers or traders of educational items need an MoU with the GES before introducing their products to schools? If yes, what is the process and who else has received such approval? If no, why was an MoU necessary in this particular case?”
Mr. Agbana said the matter cannot be swept under the carpet with a mere press statement.
“If the purchase is voluntary, say so clearly to every school and parent. If Prospectus Ghana exceeded the terms of its agreement, the GES must say so and take the necessary action.”
He cautioned government institutions against actions that damage public trust.
“Dear GES, please wake up. Government institutions must not become the reason our government loses the confidence of the very people we are working to serve. We need transparency. We need accountability. We need clarity.It’s a Peaceful Monday Morning,” he concluded.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has urged Ghanaians to make regular physical activity part of their daily routines to improve blood glucose control and reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
It said regular exercise helped the body use insulin more effectively, thereby improving blood sugar regulation and contributing to better overall health.
The call forms part of the Service’s 30-day diabetes awareness campaign ahead of this year’s World Diabetes Day, which is observed on November 14.
The GHS encouraged people to engage in simple physical activities such as walking, dancing, cycling and gardening.
It noted that staying physically active did not necessarily require expensive gym memberships, as everyday activities, including household chores, could contribute to maintaining an active lifestyle.
The Service advised adults to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, stressing the importance of starting with manageable activities and gradually building consistency.
It further encouraged people living with diabetes to combine regular physical activity with prescribed treatment and a healthy diet to help manage the condition.
The awareness campaign, being undertaken ahead of World Diabetes Day, is aimed at promoting healthy lifestyle choices and encouraging early action to prevent and manage diabetes.
This year’s World Diabetes Day is being observed under the theme “early action on diabetes,” with November 14 set aside to raise awareness of the condition and the importance of prevention, early detection and proper management.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
We take certain things for granted but it should not be so, especially if you can read, write and understand what is said on TV and Radio in English. Usually at 7:00 pm, I watch the news on one of the popular media channels and it was no big deal until a few days ago.
As I listened to a radio presenter on a popular Fm station, the important role my parents played in my life, as far as education is concerned, suddenly dawned on me. The usual style at the start of the programme, is to play a very funny interaction between a man who identifies himself as Barry …and a Ghanaian man called Akwasi.
This Barry guy apparently was talking to Akwasi by phone and he was speaking in English and Akwasi asked him to speak English, meanwhile Akwasi did not understand the English language, so he quickly asked the Barry guy to change to Twi, when he realised that the intonation was not the normal Ghanaian one.
I really had a good laugh and that was when I realised that my parents had indeed helped me by giving me access to education.
Imagine going to enter a place and they have written push on the door frame and because you cannot read, you decide to assume that you need to pull the door towards you and the embarrassment you will go through, pulling with all your might and especially at places with glass doors at the main entrance, everybody watching you and you struggling with the door for quite a few seconds before deciding to push.
It is in moments like that, that you either start blessing your parents or otherwise, depending on whether they sent you to school or not. There are things we consider as little that we take for granted but in reality, it is a big deal if you are not educated.
I recently had to go to an office located in the Ridge Hospital area and it was located on one of the floors of a story building. The protocol requires that visitors to the place log their details in a book provided for that purpose.
You write the date, your name etc., the usual. Imagine for a moment that you are Akosua Seiwaa, an uneducated person, who is going to see someone in one of the offices in the building and you are required to fill the log book with your details. It suddenly generates a stressful situation for you.
The FM programme really set me thinking about how grateful we ought to be to our parents or guardians who gave us access to education such that we have the confidence to go boldly to all kinds of places without stress.
Just imagine going to a hospital and given a whole bunch of medication. As is usually the case, the pharmacist mentions your name and immediately starts telling you the number of times and the various dosage you are to take them.
He or she then goes to the next person and chances are you are likely to forget some of the instructions. If you are uneducated, how are you going to identify the right dosages and any other special instructions you need. There is a saying that ‘If you can read this, thank a teacher.’ I think it should rather be, ‘If you can read this, thank your parents.’
There was another recording of a hilarious conversation on the show between two ladies one of whom was uneducated and did not understand “It’s been a while”. Apparently a church member met her and she said to her it’s been a while and did not know how to respond till a young girl she was walking with explained to her in Twi “Ose ohuu wo aky3”.
She was bitterly complaining to the friend that had it not been the young girl, she would have been greatly embarrassed with this “it’s been a while, it’s been a while” that the church member said to her. Do not laugh alone. Share. God bless.
