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Gyili pupils study on bare floor
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Over 200 pupils at the Gyili D/A Primary School in the Takpo Area Council of the Nadowli-Kaleo District in the Upper West Region sit or sprawl on the bare floor to take lessons during school hours because the school does not have enough furniture.
Investigation by The Spectator Newspaper revealed that the kindergarten block has a total of 58 school children in two separate classrooms, but has only six dual desks and three broken ones.
The primary block which is made up of six classrooms and accommodating 153 pupils cannot boast of more than 15 functional dual desks.
In some of the classrooms, a dual desk which is originally designed to take two pupils had four or five pupils occupying it making it difficult for them to write.
In an interview, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Chairman, Mr Abraham Suglo who drew this paper’s attention to the plight of the school, described the situation as worrying and said it affected school attendance as some parents were unwilling to send their wards to a school where pupils had to lie on their tummies for lessons.
“Money is difficult to come by these days and when you are able to raise a little, you are forced to use it on soap because each time your child returns from school, they look very dirty”, he decried and said the PTA was appealing to donors and benevolent persons to assist the pupils with furniture to facilitate teaching and learning.
“The PTA is putting resources together to fix some of the broken furniture but we are calling on individuals and organisations to support us provide desks for our children”, he added.
The Vice Chairman of the PTA, Mr Eric A-iriba also expressed that aside the issue of desks, the school block also needed refurbishing to make it more suitable for academic work.
He called on government and the district assembly to help renovate the school block, provide furniture and also post more teachers to the school as some of the classes did not have teachers.
When contacted, the District Director of Education, Mr Christopher Kutina said the inadequate supply of furniture in schools was a national issue that needed the attention of every well-meaning Ghanaian not only the government.
He said the directorate was working around the clock to secure support for such schools and said parents who could support should do so for the sake of their wards.
“We know there are some affluent ones in the communities and within the schools’ PTA who can assist and that is why we are reconstituting the schools’ management committees (SMCs) and get them sensitised to the fact that they need to support the development of their wards’ schools with their personal resources if they could”, he added.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Gyili
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.
In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.
The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.
According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.
UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.
The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.
It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.
UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.
The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.
The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.
Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.
By: Jacob Aggrey
