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Parents use sticks and stones to teach children alongside radio tutorials
Following the closure of schools in the country amid COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of children especially those in rural communities have little or no opportunity of distance learning due to lack of internet access in their homes.
But there has been a turning point as stakeholders in education have moved to rectify the situation with the introduction of the Ghana Radio Learning Programme.
Parents, after the launch of the programme, were asked to continue to support their children to carry out lesson instructions they are given on the radio.
At Kunguri in the Tolon District in the Northern Region of Ghana, some parents seem to be adhering to that call, by using stones, coloured bottle tops, and sticks to help their children carry out some of the instructions.
Madam Alimatu Mahama, a mother of four said, they usually gather around the radio with the children every Sunday evening to discuss and learn together.
“If it is mathematics lesson, I ensure I get stones as counting material and for colours, I use various colours of plastic bottle tops,” she said.
She stated that, the distance radio learning initiative was a progressive move and has kept her wards busy with homework.
Mr Yakubu Nabdow, the Circuit Supervisor at Kunguri in the Tolon district also said that, well-meaning organisations had come onboard to support the Ghana Learning Radio Programme introduced by the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, USAID, UNICEF, among other development partners.
He said that, in rural areas, households had no access or devices such as laptops, indicating that high-tech learning materials were not readily available to many children compare with their counterparts in the urban areas.
“Radio is a cheap and accessible medium of information, therefore, using the channel to broadcast lessons will make an impact especially in rural communities where there is no internet accessibility,” he said.
Mr. James Awuni, Deputy Country Director of Lively Minds, a Non-Governmental Organisation based in Tamale, agreed that the closure of schools should not impede smooth teaching and learning.
He said that parents and teachers should continue to be innovative, as more inclusive and accessible models were developed to help bridge the lesson gap created as schools were still on recess.
The interactive lessons are reaching over thousands of children in the Northern Region, and other parts of the country and are being broadcast in local dialects.
Source: Ghanaian Times
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
