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Teach children and the youth about climate change – Stakeholders in education sector told
The Assistant Programmes officer at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Eastern region, Mr Isaac Kwabena Danso has called on stakeholders in the education sector to teach children and the youth about climate change to help navigate and envision their future amid multiple social challenges.
According to him, climate change was altering all lives, including that of children, the environment, weather patterns and futures and hence, there was the need to educate them on the subject matter to develop their green skill, enable them to adapt to the harsh reality of a warming world, and understand how to combat climate change.
“We want to catch them young and inculcate in them a habit that would develop their sense of responsibility and passion for the world around them so that they can meaningfully contribute to climate changes,” he said.
Mr Danso was speaking at a day’s workshop organised by the EPA and other stakeholders with funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), for Senior High Students (SHS) on the theme “Fixing the Ozone Layer and Reducing Climate Change.”
The workshop was purposed to educate the students on the Ozone Layer Depletion and Climate Change issues to broaden their knowledge on the subject matter and help them to identify measures to enable them contribute their quota in helping to prevent the two.
He noted that climate change was partly as a result of human activities through which green gas emissions were released into the atmosphere, causing global warming and added that these activities impacted on weather conditions that caused climate change.
“Ghana has two main season which are the dry season in December and January where we experience the harmattan period and then the wet season which we experienced in May, June and July.” he noted and expressed worry over the change in weather patterns which caused flooding and drought in the country.
He said the situation hard negatively affected farmers and the country considering that Ghana was an agrarian community which depended a lot on agriculture.
He stated that there was the need to educate the youth to stop bad practices like dumbing rubbish in gutters, open defecation, among others, as those contributed to flooding which the country experienced as a result of climate change.
He added that since such practices contributed to worsening the country’s
situation causing loss of lives and properties, there was the need to inculcate good practices among the youth and develop innovative ways to teach them to prevent climate change.
The Acting Director of the EPA, Joseph Baffoe stated that the issue of ozone layer depletion was also a worry, and hence the need to educate the youth to enable them understand the difference between ozone layer depletion and climate change.
He said Ghana contributed to the depletion of the ozone by using certain chemical that depleted it, adding that the country was a signatory to the Montreal protocol which gave signatory countries the obligation to help solve the problem.
He said the UNDP had collaborated with signatory countries including Ghana to organize programmes to implement strategies to prevent the depletion and create awareness among the youth, adding that it was one of the reasons to target the youth and educate them enable them contribute their quota to prevent the depletion of the ozone.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has accepted an apology from the Minority leader in Parliament following allegations of corruption in the recruitment process of the security services.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, he indicated that the accusations were painful because they portrayed his actions in a way that suggested criminal wrongdoing.
“It is painful to be wrongly accused or for your actions to be misconstrued and labelled differently from your intention, especially when it is linked with criminality and serious wrongdoing,” he stated.
Mr Mubarak noted that although he was deeply hurt and worried by the allegations, he had decided to accept the apology wholeheartedly.
According to him, the issue should guide members of the House and public officials to focus on ensuring that the right things are done without attempting to destroy one another.
He assured the Minority that the Interior Ministry and the various security service commanders remain committed to transparency and accountability in their work.
The Minister added that the ministry would be ready to address any concerns raised by the Minority or other members of Parliament regarding recruitment into the security services.
He further appealed to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to consider expunging from the parliamentary records the false comments.
Mr Mubarak expressed appreciation to the Speaker for handling the matter and emphasised the need for cooperation among members of Parliament to ensure fairness and proper oversight.
By: Jacob Aggrey
THE Gospel Advocates (TGA), a non-denominational evangelistic Christian organisation last Saturday donated a number of educational logistics to the Dodi Asantekrom Basic School in the Eastern region of Ghana.
The gesture was to mark the seventh anniversary of the organisation made up of professionals committed to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to students in senior high schools, particularly in rural communities.
TGA also seeks to inspire students towards attaining academic excellence and guiding them towards optimising the various learning opportunities and academic programmes available at the tertiary level.
Among the items donated were 100 desks, 10 cupboards, 10 desktop computers, two laptops, 10 teachers’ tables and chairs and others.
The group also held its annual outreach programme that had a significant impact in the community through initiatives such as feeding 500 children with hot meals and assorted drinks, providing free medical screening and drugs for 500 adults and youth and conducting health education and sensitisation for both children and adults.
TGA also took upon itself to restock the community clinic with essential medicines and distributed food items, plastic bowls, cups and clothing to members of the community.
The initiative, according to officials of the group, was supported by ORSAM Limited, Doctors Save Lives Foundation, Johnson Tord Foundation, El-Shaddai Mothercare, Exceed Alliance Limited, GB Foods Ghana Limited, Qualiplast Limited, Phyto-Riker (Gihoc) Pharmaceuticals Limited, Cosa Bright Ghana, Kabs Pharmacy, Tobinco Pharmaceuticals, Pill Bay Pharmacy and Bamah 3.7.7.
“We are deeply grateful for their immense support and partnership in bringing hope, relief, and practical assistance to the people of Dodi Asantekrom,” the officials said.
In a statement, the President and Chairman of The Gospel Advocates, Mr. Selom Kpikpitse, said the donation to Dodi Asantekrom forms part of TGA’s broader mission to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ among students and youth in rural communities through teachings, music and arts.
He explained that the meals provided to over 500 pupils were in line with the organization’s annual “Feed the Kidz Project,” which demonstrates Christ’s love.
Receiving the items on behalf of the school, the Headmaster, Mr. Otumfour Newton, expressed gratitude to TGA and its sponsors, saying that “the items would significantly enhance teaching and learning while improving the overall welfare and development of the pupils.”
Mr. Newton also commended the team for the free medical screenings for adults and youth in the community, and other community engagements.
Medical supplies were also donated to the Dodi Asantekrom CHPS compound and received on behalf of the facility by Mr. Amefu, a Physician Assistant.
By Spectator Reporter
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