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Govt undertakes disinfection exercise of 112 basic schools in Savannah Region
The disinfecting of basic schools in the Savannah Region would help assuage fears in both the pupils and the teachers in the region as a result of the coronavirus disease.
The Deputy Director, Supervision of Education, West-Gonja District in the Savannah Region, Katribi Dramani, made the observation during the disinfection of Yipala Junior High School (JHS) in the West-Gonja District.
With the disinfection exercise in the Savannah Region underway, both the final-year JHS pupils and teachers would be motivated and have confidence to report to school on June 29, to prepare for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE), he said.
In this regard, he commended Zoomlion Ghana Limited for partnering the central government to have all basic schools in the country disinfected.
According to Mr Dramani, many of the teachers and pupils became even more excited when they got wind of the news that Zoomlion was coming to disinfect basic schools in the region.
Zoomlion, he indicated, started the exercise on June 18, adding that they have been able to disinfect about 74 basic schools out of 112 in the district.
He also said that the ministry of education was putting in place measures to help protect the final-year JHS pupils against the COVID-19 disease.
Consequently, he cautioned the final-year pupils to adhere strictly to the President’s directives on the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the view of Mr Dramani, the e-learning approach adopted by many of the schools in the region did not have much impact.
He attributed this to the fact that many of the pupils and their parents did not have the necessary tools to support e-learning.
He, thus, advised the pupils to fully cooperate with their teachers throughout the period they will be studying to write their final year examinations.
Meanwhile, heads of basic schools in the region were happy with the disinfection exercise in their schools.
According to them, the exercise was critical because it would not only keep their schools’ spaces and facilities safe, but equally protect their final-year JHS pupils to prepare and write their exit examinations, safe from the virus.
The headmaster of Larabanga JHS B, Mr Saaka Dauda Laward, could not hide his joy, and thus praised the government and Zoomlion for the exercise.
“I am very excited to see the government engage Zoomlion to disinfect my school,” he expressed.
He used the opportunity to appeal to philanthropists and corporate institutions in the region to support his school with Veronica buckets, nose masks and alcohol-based hand sanitisers.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Medical Doctor and dietician, Dr Bernice Korkor Asare, has urged women to take greater responsibility for their lifestyle choices, particularly their eating habits and levels of physical activity, to help reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
According to her, although, some breast cancer risk factors, such as family history and certain reproductive factors, may not be within an individual’s control, lifestyle choices offer an opportunity for people to take preventive action.
She made this known during a talk on the topic: “Role of diet in breast cancer prevention” organised by Times Ladies Association of the New Times Corporation, publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, in Accra on Thursday.
The event themed “Breast Cancer Awareness- Promoting Early Detection, Healthy Eating and Prevention.” 
She noted that having a risk factor did not automatically mean a person would develop breast cancer, but could increase the likelihood of developing the disease compared with someone without that particular risk factor.
“Having close relatives who have had breast cancer, particularly a mother, sister or daughter, may increase the risk, although not everyone with a family history will develop the disease,” Dr Asare opined. Read More.
By Adizatu K. Munkaila
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A group of compassionate friends from Innovation Gospel Impact last Friday visited the management, teachers and learners of the Street Academy in Accra.
The visit was to interact to get a deeper insight into the operations of the Academy that houses hundreds of street and underprivileged children and find ways to support them.
The team was led by Rev. Dr Isaac Apenteng Yeboah, a former Director for West African Mailbox Club and Director for Prisons Support Foundation, and Rev. Dale Sutherland from Washington DC.
The call, according to the visitors was occasioned by reports about the struggles of the Academy despite the occasional support it enjoys from individuals and some corporate entities.
Briefing them, the Founder and Executive Director of the Academy, Dr Ataa Lartey, thanked them for the concern showed, indicating that “this is a major boost for both teachers and learners; knowing that their plight is known by people outside their premises.”
According Dr Lartey, the Academy had planned to undertake a number of project to enhance teaching and learning and also procure facilities for the children with keen interest in sports but had to shelve those plans for lack of finance.
He told the team that their biggest concerns were the monthly utility bills that takes a toll on their finances.
“We have a piece of land we planned to turn into an astro turf pitch to train the younger ones whose interests lies in making a career out of football, however, we have been unable to commence because there is no money now,” he said.
Dr Lartey expressed gratitude to the teachers who have dedicated their lives to training these children, rather than going for well-paying jobs and hoped that with time, their conditions of engagement would improve.
Moved by the plight of the Academy, the group donated a cash amount of Gh₵3,000 to settle its water bills.
They described as unfortunate the conditions of learners and teachers of the Academy and pledged to continuously support their operations to realize the dream to build a better future for the unfortunate children.
The group offered to support the school with its monthly utility bills, feeding and staff allowance and urged the Academy staff to remain in constant touch with them.
The Street Academy is located at the Accra Art Center and offers brilliant but needy the chance to pursue their educational dreams by enrolling them in public schools with others offered training in sports and cultural activities.
By Spectator Reporter
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