Editorial

Virtual learning: A positive approach

Published

4 years ago

November 6, 2021

Dear Editor,

The government in recent times continues to provide access to basic and secondary education and has taken steps to expand infrastructure so that more students could attain formal education.

But it appears those in our rural communities are still lagging behind in terms of infrastructure development and access to modern teaching and learning methods.

Computers, radio and television have now been turned into virtual learning classrooms but some rural folks are yet to tap these opportunities.

As efforts are made to bridge the gap between the educated and the uneducated in our society, I wish to encourage radio and television stations to air programmes which include lessons on basic phonetics, how to read and comprehend the Queen’s language, how to write business proposals, computer lessons, among others.

In the era of fast-paced technology, one does not necessarily need to enter a physical classroom to acquire knowledge or higher education.

We have started well but the more we introduce advanced forms of modern virtual learning systems — using television as an effective tool, the better it would serve our nation.

It is high time we brought an abrupt end to promoting and patronising television and radio programmes that did not add value in our effort to completely wipe out illiteracy.

Ebenezer K. N. Baiden-Amissah,

P O Box LG 1254,

Legon, Accra.

Let’s phase out ‘borla taxis’

Dear Editor,

I am impressed with the Greater Accra Regional Minister’s directive to ban tricycles (aboboyaas or ‘borla taxis’) from using the motorway and other express routes in Accra.

Indeed, we have always observed the inconvenience these tricycles cause as they convey refuse from one destination to the other and I must say the ban has been long overdue.

When I first settled in Accra, I used to observe how waste management companies collected garbage at residential areas at least twice every week and were paid for their services. I do not know how we came to leave waste collection in the hands of tricycle operators.

‘Aboboyaas’ are not designed for waste collection and we must put a stop to them. But just when I thought the ban was to take effect on November 1, 2021, I was told it had been extended to February 2022 so the operators could be educated on the new directive.

While I am somehow disappointed, I believe the three months grace period is in order. As we wait for the new deadline, I urge city authorities to provide a better alternative to the ‘aboboyaas’ and encourage private waste management companies to take over the collection and transportation of rubbish in the city.

Mavis Obeng,

North Kaneshie,

Editorial

Would there ever be beds?

Published

6 days ago

February 28, 2026

WeeklySpectator

Dear Editor,

I WRITE to condemn the circumstances under which an accident victim died recently after three major hospitals reportedly turned him away due to what has earned a place in our local parlance as ‘no bed syndrome.’

Reports suggested that this motor rider who got knocked by a vehicle was taken to three major hospitals – Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital – but they all claimed they had no beds.

But one may ask, would there ever be beds?

Such is the treatment Ghanaians endure every now and then when one visits our hospitals, especially the public ones which are run with the taxpayers’ money. Many a time when one visits the hospitals, the sight of patients admitted and lying on benches, and some sitting on chairs while receiving care, is visible to all; making one wonder why this particular motor rider was not admitted at any of the facilities, looking at his condition.

This leads to the reason for this letter, which is to bring out a perceived apathy against these motor riders, the majority of whom are referred to as ‘Okada’ riders.

Due to their recklessness on the roads and the inconvenience caused to commuters, people always speak ill about them; drivers equally have no regard for them. Every user of public transport would attest to this. These riders are blamed for every offence, even when it is obvious drivers may be at fault sometimes.

Motor riders have become like orphans on the road; people care less about them, and when they are unfortunately knocked down, no one cares about them.

This is the mischief our authorities and agencies, including the police, must seek to cure to make the road safe for all users.

These are young folks that want to make a living for themselves, and with no skill or education, ‘Okada’ rides have become their source of livelihood. They need the protection accorded drivers and commuters as well.

In other countries, some facilities have been provided to make their work safer, but in Ghana, we lack them, leaving them with no alternative than to share the available space with the cars.

What has happened should serve as a wake-up call on our authorities to aim to take a second look at the ‘Okada’ menace. With the numbers increasing, there should be a way to regulate them because no government would have the guts to ban it totally.

Drivers should be made to accept the reality that they are sharing the roads with them, and therefore the need for patience and tolerance.

For some of our hospitals, I suggest the Ministry of Health conduct their own investigations to see what patients go through in accessing medicare, which is even not for free.

Thank you, Editor, for the space.

F. Morgan, Kokrobite

Editorial

Ending the ‘No Bed’ syndrome

Published

6 days ago

February 28, 2026

WeeklySpectator

Dear Editor,

THE heartbreaking death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah in a hit-and-run accident has exposed once again the failures in our health system.

Even more painful is the fact that his father had previously donated beds to some hospitals, yet when his son needed urgent care, he was moved from one facility to another because there were ‘no beds.’

This is not only tragic but unacceptable. How can a country lose its bright young citizens simply because hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment? The ‘no bed syndrome’ has become a national disgrace, and Charles’ death is a reminder that reforms cannot wait.

Our hospitals must be equipped to handle emergencies, and accountability must be enforced. If donations are made to improve facilities, then those facilities must serve the people when it matters most. Ghana cannot afford to keep losing lives to negligence and poor infrastructure.

Charles Amissah’s death should be the turning point. Let us honor his memory by fixing the system so that no family would suffer this kind of preventable loss again.

Princess Wonovi
Accra