Editorial
Enough of bullying in schools
Dear Editor,
The death of a Senior High School (SHS) student, which reportedly was as a result of bullying at Konongo Odumase Senior High in the Ashanti Region, is still fresh on my mind. The sequence of the incident was not too clear but the reports indicate that the deceased was resisting bullying by his seniors.
As investigation into the incident continued, I have been wondering what the Ghana Education Service (GES) had been up to since this unfortunate incident. I have been expecting the GES to condemn and issue a stern warning against bullying but I am yet to find any concrete statement from them.
Many years ago, during my final year in Senior High School, our Headmaster was compelled to ban what we called “Nino’s Night” — an old tradition and a sort of an ‘unofficial’ welcome for first year students.
Some seniors, on that day, had plotted ‘revenge’ on some of the juniors and were ready to subject them to different forms of torture. When the teachers got wind of the plans they quickly took action and cancelled activities scheduled for the night.
Certainly, the Konongo Odumase incident had nothing to do with Nino’s Night but showed the extent to which some seniors would want to exert their authority on juniors.
I believe there are school regulations that proscribe bullying but it seems some students and teachers ignore them due to lack of enforcement.
It is time the GES introduced a policy document (if there is none) indicating zero tolerance for bullying in schools and must put measure in place to ensure such unfortunate incidents do not occur in future. We seem to have normalised bullying and must not allow the practice to fester.
My heart goes out to the school and family of the deceased while we wait patiently for details of police investigations into the incidents.
Pearl Adobea Otoo,
Asamankese.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to draw the attention of the authorities to the deplorable state of the road at Bortianor Hills in the Ga South Municipality, and the serious effect it is having on our environment and our health.
The road has been in a terrible condition for years. It is full of deep potholes, gullies and loose stones. When it rains, the entire stretch becomes muddy, flooded and completely impassable. Cars get stuck, school children wade through dirty water to get to school, and pregnant women and the sick struggle to get to hospital.
When it is dry, the situation is even worse. The dust is unbearable. It covers our homes, our food, our clothes and our shops. We breathe this dust every day. Many residents, especially children and the elderly, are now suffering from cough, catarrh, asthma and eye infections.
What pains us most is that some time ago, a contractor came and applied only the first coat on portions of the road and then left. Since then, there has been no improvement. That first coat has already been washed away by the rains. In fact, the road is now worse than it was before, because the loose gravel and the broken edges have created more dust and more erosion.
The environment is suffering too. Because of the bad road, tanker trucks and heavy vehicles that bring us water and building materials have further destroyed what is left of it. The drains are choked, rainwater has no proper channel, and erosion is eating into people’s plots and foundations. The dust and noise have killed the peace of this once quiet community.
Bortianor Hills is a fast-growing community. People are building, paying taxes, paying property rates and contributing to national development. We do not deserve to live in this condition.
We are therefore appealing to the Ga South Municipal Assembly, the Department of Urban Roads, and the Ministry of Roads and Highways to come back and complete the road. If a contract was awarded, let it be enforced. If the contractor has abandoned site, let a new one be engaged. Silence is not acceptable.
Good roads are not a luxury. They are life, health and dignity.
Resident,
A significant shift in Ghana’s diaspora policy is highlighted by the first Open D.O.O.R. Dialogues, which move the emphasis from transient heritage tourism, such as the 2019 Year of Return, to a planned, 10-year framework for long-term repatriation and economic integration.
Although the project highlights the African diaspora’s enormous developmental potential, the conversations reveal a persistent conflict between high-level political goodwill and the practical, bureaucratic reality that returnees must deal with.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs correctly notes that the diaspora is more than just seasonal tourists; it is an important source of investment, innovation, and talent transfer.
According to Dr. Collins Rawlings Nyunyonyame, institutional fragmentation rather than a lack of motivation is the main obstacle to sustainable return. Long-term settlement is deliberately discouraged when potential returns confront unclear bureaucratic procedures across many agencies, such as immigration, foreign affairs, and diaspora affairs.
A crucial operational step is the demand for a centralised platform for diaspora opportunities and efficient collaboration. Grand policies run the risk of failing at the implementation phase if there are no clear, uniform processes for citizenship, business registration, and property acquisition.
Ghana can increase local industries, close skills gaps in specialised fields, and attract foreign direct investment by drawing in wealthy or highly qualified diasporans. The state must, however, strike a balance between these incentives to avoid unintentionally marginalising locals, especially in highly competitive industries like urban real estate.
In order to feel like they belong and have the chance to “Build Home,” returnees need civic security and legal clarity. Practical deterrents include things like complicated land tenure regimes, friction between dual citizenship, and expensive import charges on personal belongings.
The shift from a “Year of Return” to a “Decade of Repatriation” necessitates extensive integration at the community level. For repatriation to be successful, everyday economic and social partnerships between returnees and local communities must take precedence over scholarly and ministerial discussions.
The Open D.O.O.R. Dialogues accurately point out that emotional appeal is insufficient for the next stage of diaspora engagement. Ghana’s policy needs to change from cultural welcoming to a highly organised, seamless institutional ecosystem if the concept “Come Home. Stay Home. Build Home.” is to become a reality.
