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Visit children at school to inspire academic excellence
The Member of Parliament for the Sissala East Constituency in the Upper West Region, Mr Issahaku Amidu Chinnia has encouraged parents to take keen interest in the education of their wards.
He said that it was not enough to provide them (wards) with their school fees and stationery but it was also of more importance for the parents to visit their wards in school to acquaint themselves with their learning capacities, get to know their challenges and help solve them.
“The children are our future; The toil and struggle we go through each day are because we want to secure a better future for them so we must make sure that the care we give them is holistic and encompasses every aspect of their lives”, he stressed.
The MP stated this at Tumu last Friday at an event to inaugurate an office complex to facilitate interaction between himself and his constituents for consolidated development of the area.
The office complex which comprises a conference room, a radio station and other ancillary facilities would be manned by staff who would attend to people who visited the place in his absence and later forward their issues to him.
“Government will do its part with the provision of educational facilities, teachers will also do their best in the classroom but the rest of the work lies on the parents who have to ensure that the children put those resources to good use and I am speaking as a trained teacher”, he said.
Mr Chinnia said considering his priority for education, he sought to develop the educational sector of his constituency and hinted that since his assumption of office a year ago, he had outlined a number of interventions aimed at improving the lot of this key sector.
Mr Chinnia hinted that in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service in the constituency, he was starting an award scheme to reward dedicated and diligent teachers in order to encourage quality teaching and supervision of learners in the area.
The MP stated that in his quest to bridge the gap between himself and his constituents, he pledged to provide an office where residents and opinion leaders would visit to present issues and challenges of communal concern to him for redress.
“I am committed to participatory development of the constituency, and I know with this facility we can identify areas of prime concern and prescribe the right interventions for them”, he added.
Commissioning the edifice, the Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih called on other Members of Parliament in the region to emulate same to propel the development of the region.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
By Spectator Reporter
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Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
