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Govt has supplied COVID-19 safety kits to SHSs in V/R, Oti regions -GES
The Government has supplied adequate coronavirus (COVID-19) safety kits to all senior high schools (SHS) in the Volta and Oti regions.
The Volta Regional Director of Education, Madam Enyonam Afi Amafuga disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times in an interview in Ho on Saturday when the items were delivered.
Madam Amafuga who is also in charge of the Oti Region said that the consignments were first handed over to the Municipal and District Chief Executives, for onward delivery to the Zonal Directors of Education.
From that stage the District Directors of Education would then collect the items for the schools, she added.
The Regional Director of Education giving the breakdown of the supplies said they included 1,350 Veronica buckets; 566 infrared thermometers; 2,700 gallons of liquid soap; 2,700 boxes of tissue paper; 53,379 sanitisers and 150,137 face masks for the Volta Region.
For Oti, she said, they included 360 Veronica buckets; 164 infrared thermometers, 720 gallons of liquid soap; 720 packs of tissue paper, 12,211 sanitisers and 36,636 masks.
About 50,000 final year and ‘Second Year Gold’ SHS students are expected to return to school in the Oti and Volta regions on today.
Meanwhile 37,675 third year Junior High School (JHS) students are also expected back in school at the end of this month.
Madam Amafuga said that the items would be distributed among the students and staff on Monday, adding that academic work would commence smoothly on Tuesday.
She stated that a task force had been appointed to monitor activities at the various campuses to ensure strict compliance to COVID-19 safety procedures.
Meanwhile, the government is also set to supply senior high schools (SHS) with ‘special’ cellular phones for use by students.
“This is to prevent them from congregating around the old phone booths on the campuses, as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Madam Amafuga, in an earlier interview.
Source: Ghanaian Times
The Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has defended the conduct of the Minority in Parliament during Tuesday’s chaotic sitting, insisting their actions were to protect what they believe is a violation of parliamentary procedure.
Explaining the incident, he said the Minority was reacting to developments surrounding a letter which allegedly directed that a seat belonging to the MP for Kpandai be declared vacant despite an earlier ruling by the Speaker.
He argued that the Speaker’s ruling should stand unless overturned by a competent court, and described the sudden reversal as shocking and against parliamentary precedent.
Mr Ahmed said the Minority only attempted to make a statement to register their displeasure, but tensions rose when the Majority Leader insisted on responding instead of commenting, which he said was against the rules.
He also denied claims that Minority MPs crossed the aisle, stressing that they remained within their side and only sought the Speaker’s attention.
He further complained that during proceedings, the Mace—the symbol of authority in the House—was not present and Minority microphones were disconnected, making the process one-sided.
He said the caucus intends to continue pushing to ensure that the MP for Kpandai retains his seat, adding that their next steps will be strategic.
By: Jacob Aggrey
President John Mahama has stated that it is too early for anyone to call for the scrapping of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) despite recent controversies surrounding the institution.
He argued that the office remains an important part of Ghana’s fight against corruption.
He explained that government is strengthening anti-corruption bodies such as the Economic and Organised Crime Office and the OSP, noting that the OSP is the only agency with the power to independently prosecute cases without going through the Attorney General.
President Mahama said many people distrust the Attorney General’s office because it is headed by a government minister, and some fear it may be slow to prosecute its own.
He believes an independent body like the OSP offers stronger accountability, regardless of who is involved.
He admitted that citizens want to see more prosecutions and visible results, but urged the public to give the OSP time.
He encouraged the office to speed up its investigations to show that it remains relevant in the fight against corruption.
By: Jacob Aggrey
