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Editorial

Ghanaians deserve commendation for success of national cleaning exercise

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Some of the school children desilting choked gutters.

Dear Editor,

I wish to use this platform to commend Ghanaians for turning up massively to clean their respective communities as part of the national cleaning exercise declared by the president, John Dramani Mahama.

After cleaning my area, I decided to take a stroll across some of the neigbhouring communities.

I got so excited about the numbers that lined up the street and along gutters.

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To my surprise, I met a few people who had moved to other areas to support. It was a good sign and reaction from people who have learnt serious lessons from the recent floods.

What we witnessed last Monday sends a clear message that if attitudes about sanitation don’t change, we may encounter more devastating disasters when it rains.

Truth is that the recent rain was quite heavy and continued for a longer time. However, the choked gutters and other drainage worsened the situation.

In one of the many videos that circulated on social media, one could sight a large heap of rubbish covering the surface of the flood water. We are the cause of this menace and Ghanaians must be seen to be showing concern.

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With the sanitation issue being tackled gradually, I pray that government through the local assembly finds a way to collect the rubbish from the exercise, lest they wash into the drains again.

Again, the demolition exercises must continue. Building sited on waterways and resulting in flooding must be cleared. Government must try and restore all the wetlands taken over by developers.

Most of the time, the rich people that benefits from these activities do not suffer from the floods. It is the poor that suffers.

I hope that this exercise would be a monthly affair so that at least once in every month, citizens would come out like they did on Friday and Saturday to clean their environment.

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Ayekoo to every Ghanaian that participated. Well done to all the Members of Parliament and Ministers of state that also took part. It was leadership by example.

Maxwell Boampong,

Accra Newtown

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Editorial

No life should be lost over allegations

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Dear Editor,

The recent death of Nana Yaw, also known as Dinero/Terry, has left various communities deeply shaken over the circumstances under which a life was lost.

Reports suggest that he went missing after a phone transaction in Teshie and was later found dead. Allegations have circulated that he visited a female friend despite having a pregnant wife at home.

Even if such allegations were true, does that mean he deserved to die? The answer is no. Infidelity is a moral failing, but it is not a crime punishable by death. To suggest otherwise is to normalize violence and diminish the value of human life.

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This tragedy should remind us of the urgent need for justice and accountability. His family especially his expectant wife deserves compassion, not judgment. As a community, we must reject victim‑blaming and focus on preventing such senseless losses in the future.

Nana Yaw’s death is not just a personal tragedy, it is a call to action. 

We must demand thorough investigation, ensure those responsible are held accountable, and commit ourselves to building a society where disagreements and mistakes do not end in violence.

Princess Wonovi, 

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Editorial

Take quick action to rebuild Percheyire R/C Basic School

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The situation at Percheyire R/C Basic School in the Yilo Krobo district is a warning concerning Ghana’s rural education facilities as pupils in Primary four through six are forced to learn inside a building of mud walls, worn-out roofing sheets, and rotting wooden pillars.

It is more than just an infrastructural shortfall. It indicates a fundamental failing of public safety and educational justice. 

Every day, when pupils and teachers arrive at school, their safety is in danger because a school building has such fundamental flaws that it could collapse during a storm.

The classroom is now a hazard rather than a haven for learning for the 30 upper primary pupils and their teachers. A single extreme weather event could cause a mud construction to fall dangerously because it depends on makeshift timber pillars. 

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These children are routinely deprived of the instructional hours that the national curriculum promises them when the arrival of rain inevitably necessitates the suspension of classes to save lives, books, and furniture. 

A deeper systemic problem is revealed when Rev. Elizabeth Korasare, a former teacher, reveals that this identical arrangement has not changed in 38 years. 

Some proponents contend that local government institutions like the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the District Assembly are solely to blame for the main failure. Actual rehabilitation has been postponed due to administrative inactivity, despite official site visits and reports submitted by the school administration. 

According to this viewpoint, there is a problem with the way emergency educational funds are allocated and prioritised when a community school is left in a dangerous condition for decades while waiting for budgetary allocations.

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This point of view highlights the necessity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and public-private collaborations. When state machinery fails, supporters contend that combining corporate money with citizen mobilisation provides a more flexible way to replace deteriorating structures.

It is a pity that Percheyire R/C Basic School’s surrounding infrastructure worsens the school’s structural deterioration. Children travelling from nearby communities like Togodo are severely restricted in their access due to an inadequate road network.

When more than 60 school-aged children in a single nearby town are cut off from regular attendance due to distance and bad roads, the school’s capacity to raise the district is substantially limited. A contemporary classroom block will only be successful if students can get there safely.

The lives of Percheyire’s pupils and teachers are at risk, therefore the Spectator is pleading with the Yilo Krobo District Assembly and other interested parties to rebuild the primary block.

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