Accra, July 11, GNA - The National Tuberculosis Control Programme (NTP) has intensified its efforts to help reduce the spread of the disease through a new campaign dubbed the ‘KICK TB’.   The campaign aims at raising the awareness of Tuberculosis (TB) among children through the use of football events in schools.   Due to its enormous popularity and potential as an attention grabber, football is being used by the ‘KICK TB’ campaign to promote the cough etiquette and respiratory hygiene, said the NTP Manager, Dr Frank Bonsu, after a two day workshop in Accra.    The workshop, on the theme “making KICK TB Live in Ghana”, follows the launch of the national campaign and the World TB day by the National TB Control Program and the Ghana Health Service in March.   Dr Bonsu said the South African (SA) KICK TB campaign is being replicated in Ghana due to its success adding that a consultant from SA is taking participants from NGOs, Civil Society Organizations, health officials and the Media to discuss the concept as well as brainstorm to adopt appropriate implementation strategies in Ghana.   He said children through the knowledge acquired from the campaign would “serve as communication tools to effect change and at the same time help spread the cough etiquette message”.   Dr Bonsu said one expected outcome amongst others, is that a proportion of school children would have positive attitudes towards TB cases and that more people would report early to clinics should the need arise.   He said the objective of the campaign is to increase TB case detection, increase awareness and knowledge, dispel common myths and misconceptions, promote behavioural changes required to prevent infection and to increase treatment outcomes.   Ms Wena Moelich, SA National Project Manager of KICK TB, appealed to participants to take advantage of every opportunity as South Africa did with the 2010 World cup to push the campaign forward.   She described the programme as her brainchild and that she worked on her dream for a year before the World Cup came to SA saying "you have to take advantage of such a huge international event like The FIFA World Cup."    Ms Moelich said the campaign focused on primary school learners where footballs with appropriate messages were distributed to them in their schools.    She said one of the challenges affecting the management of TB was the stigma attached to the disease and suggested that educating people was the answer to de-stigmatizing.   Ghana, she said, could replicate the South Africa campaign and that monitoring and evaluation was crucial to the program.   According to the WHO global TB report release in 2011, Ghana  is  among few African countries  that have met the world health assembly target of  seventy percent TB case detection and eighty-five percent treatment  success target.   Ghana’s TB incidence and prevalence has reduced almost by fifty percent. However with no interventions in place to address the problem of childhood tuberculosis as there is for adult tuberculosis it was time to put childhood TB on the agenda through the game of football as a communication strategy.   GNA...

Accra, July 11, GNA – The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has named Maxwell Konadu as the interim coach of the Black Satellites.   Konadu, who is also the deputy trainer of the Black Stars will hold the fort following the 'shock' resignation of coach Orlando Wellington last Tuesday.   According to the sources from the  GFA, the out-going Asante Kotoko coach will handle the team until a substantive coach is named.   Meanwhile, Prince Yaw Owusu, Head Coach of Tema Youth has been drafted into the team as one of the assistants alongside Charles Akunnor of Accra Hearts of Oak FC.   The Satellites are due to play Uganda in the qualifier of the 2013 African Youth Championship later this month.   GNA...

Accra , July 11, GNA - Government has between 2009 and 2011 spent some GH¢121,443.71 on renovation works on the Flagstaff House,   Ghana’s Presidential Palace, a move intended to shore up the structural integrity of the sprawling national asset.   This was revealed on Wednesday on the floor of Parliament by Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, when asked by the MP for Binduri, Stephen Yakubu, on what renovation works had been done on the edifice since 2009 and how much that had cost the nation.   Giving a breakdown of the cost of the renovation, the Minister said fumigation of the facility within the period under review (2009-2011) cost government an amount Gh¢48,956.99, whilst the sum of GH¢41,554.57 was expended on the maintenance and repair of the edifice’s central air condition system.   He said an amount of GH¢26,291.15 was incurred in the maintenance and servicing of generators and minor renovation works on electrical fittings, with the supply and installation of two airconditioners and re-routing of server room costing an additional Gh¢4,641.00.        The Flagstaff House previously served as the residence and office of the President of Ghana, it was reconstructed and inaugurated with the name Golden Jubilee House in November 2008 when construction was nearly complete.   The facility is currently occupied by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, after fire gutted its high-rise offices within the ministries in 2010.   GNA...

Accra , July 11, GNA - Government is working towards completing the housing projects initiated by the previous administration, committing itself to source funding to undertake the venture.   To this end, a committee has been constituted to advice government on interventions aimed at realising that goal to ensure that the initial investment by government was not lost.   Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister, who disclosed this in Parliament on Wednesday, said the Ministry had also constituted a Housing Project Committee to evaluate proposals received from the public on the issue for implementation.   He was answering a questioned posed by the MP for Oforikrom, Mrs Elizabeth Agyemang on what was being done by the ministry to complete the various affordable housing projects being currently occupied by squatters.   Mr Mensah told the House that under the affordable housing programme, not a single unit out of the over 4,700 housing units dotted across the country were completed even though some 70 million Ghana cedis had been sunk into the project, drawing criticisms and heckling from the minority.   He said the ministry had to devise measures that would enable the completion of the projects, including a technical audit to determine why the programme stalled; the exact status of each single unit of housing; the contractors working on the project and those on site; how much it would cost to complete those facilities; where to acquire funds and revaluation of the housing units and the mode of allocation.   The Minister said investigations revealed that the housing project had been held up due to a plethora of reasons that created complexities to completing the projects.   One major hindrance to completing the project, he noted, was a directive by the previous government that the ministry procured building materials for the project and supply same directly to contractors working on the project, describing it as a “disincentive to contractors that compromised the diligent execution of work”.   The Minister said that stance meant the progress of the project was dependent on the ability of the ministry to mobilize financial and other resources to supply the inputs, which led to the stalling of the project.   He said the ministry had also initiated action to get contractors who had been paid advance mobilisation but did not move to site to refund the monies paid to them.   The project was initially funded with an amount of 40 million Ghana cedis from HIPC sources and an additional 30 million Ghana cedis sourced from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust.   The projects including the Nungua Bortey-man, Kpone, Asokore-Mampong, Koforidua, Tamale and Wa housing units are at various stages of completion.   GNA...

Koforidua, July 11, GNA - The Eastern Regional Police Command, on Wednesday destroyed 45 acre Indian hemp plantation at Obosi in the Upper Manya Krobo District.      Two suspects Tetteh Narnor, 30,  Moses Bualor, 26, who claimed ownership of the plantation have also been arrested.      Three others, who had been identified as co-owners of the plantation are on the run and are being pursued by the police who located the plantation based on a tip-off.      The combined team of police personnel led by Superintendent Richardson Kumeko, the Asesewa District Commander, later set fire to the plantation, which was located on a hill.      The suspects told the police that hitherto they were cultivating cash crops but foraging cattle destroyed them hence their decision to switch to the cultivation of Indian hemp.      They said they started the Indian hemp cultivation about a year ago.   GNA...

Accra, July 11, GNA - Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, said on Tuesday in Suzhou, China, that relations between China and Africa must be based on a win-win situation in which the aspirations of both Africans and Chinese are met.   He said Africa should seek partnerships that will open up the enormous wealth of their markets in a way that will benefit their people and not those that deprived them of their well-being even as their resources were being taken away.   Former President Kufuor was speaking at a banquet in honour of the 150 delegates attending the Second China-Africa People's Forum at the Taihu International Conference centre. It is under the theme:"People's Voice, People's Friendship and Cooperation of the People."   This was contained in a release signed by Mr Frank Agyekum, Spokesperson and Special Aid to former President John Agyekum Kufuor and issued on Wednesday   It said five other former African heads of state and two current first ladies are attending. They are Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Joaquim Chicano of Mozambique,  Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Sylvestere Ntibantunganya of Burandi and Abdel Rahman Swar el-Dahab of Sudan.   The first ladies are Mrs Azeb Mefin of Ethiopia and Mrs Widad Babiker Orner Mudawi of Sudan.   Former President Kufuor said China's immense influence in the world must affect Africa positively to enable her to develop alongside other continents.   "Africa should benefit from the technical know-how of China and there should be equity in transactions. Chinese companies must take seriously the social responsibilities of the communities in which they work and the government must offer scholarships for studying and training to the youth," he said.       The two-day conference was opened by the Vice-President of China, Mr Jiangping Xi.   GNA...

Accra, July 11, GNA - STAR-Ghana a multi-donor pooled funding mechanism (funded by DFID, DANIDA, EU and USAID) has pumped a total of 4,783,285.75 dollars to 36 organisations in an effort to consolidate democracy, a statement made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday.      The support seeks to inject accountability and transparency in the country’s electoral system as the nation prepares for Election 2012.      According to the disbursement figures obtained by the GNA, the highest amount which was 332,943.00 dollars was given to the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) to educate Persons with Disability on the election 2012.      The least amount of 30,000.00 dollars was given to Ahenbroso Care Foundation to whip up public interest and support to ensure peaceful election in December.      Others are Action for Sustainable Development which received 60,000.00 dollars, while Alliance for Reproductive Health Right also got 60,000.00 dollars.      The rest were Blogging Ghana which got 100,000.00 dollars, Centre for promotion of Democratic Governance, 65,000.00 dollars, Centre for Alternative Development, 60,000.00 dollars, and Centre for Environmental Impact Analysis, 100.000.00 dollars.     The others are Centre for Development of People, 60,000.00 dollars, Chaufra Company Limited, 60.000.00 dollars, Choice Ghana, 70.000.00 dollars, Development Gateway, 70.000.00 dollars and Drama Network/Rite 90.1FM got 98,579.00.     The rest are Ghana Integrity Initiative, 120,000.00 dollars, Ghana Journalists Association, 100.000.00 dollars, Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, 80,000.00 dollars, Institute for Democratic Governance, 200.000.00 dollars, Institute for Economic Affairs, 100.000.00 dollars, and Legal Resource Centre, 80,000.00 dollars.       The National Catholic Secretariat for Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference received 150,000.00 dollars; Northern Ghana Aid received 150,000.00 dollars with Pan African Organisation for Sustainable Development getting 70,000.00 dollars.     Other recipients were Partners in Participatory Development, 50,000.00 dollars, Penplusbytes, 150,000.00 dollars, Skyy Media, 80,000.00 dollars, Society for Youth Policy and Poverty Alleviation, 70,000.00 dollars and Sustainable Aid through Voluntary Establishment, 50,000.00 dollars.     The rest were the Ark Foundation, Ghana, $200.000.00, Voice of People with Disability Ghana,  36,000.00 dollars, Wassa Communities Affected by Mines, 10,000.00 dollars, West Africa Network for Peace Building, 100,000.00 dollars and Women in Law and Development in Africa, 78,000.00 dollars.     The Youth Action and Reproductive Order also got 40,000.00 dollars, Youth Alive received 80,000.00 and finally Youth and Women Empowerment also got 35,000.00 dollars.      It has the ultimate goal of improving the accountability and responsiveness of Ghana’s government, traditional authorities and the private sector and to build on previous programmes including the Rights and Voice Initiative (2004-2010); the Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme (G-rap) (2005-2011); KASA (2008-2010); and the Civil Society Governance Fund (2004-2010).     Rights and Voice Initiative used a rights-based approach, while G-rap focused on research and policy advocacy by the more mature organisations engaging with the state, and these are think tanks and policy analysis organisations which were collectively called research and advocacy organisations.     KASA focused solely on natural resource governance and the Civil Society Governance Fund sought to strengthen the capacity of CSOs for monitoring and advocacy around good governance and human right.   GNA...

Accra , July 11, GNA  - Annual inflation rate rose for the fourth consecutive month in June up to 9.4 percent compared to 9.3 percent in May, the Ghana Statistical Service said on Wednesday.   Addressing a press conference to announce the rate, Mr Kofi Agyeman-Duah, Acting Deputy Government Statistician, said the rate was likely to fall with the start of the harvest season in line with previous trends.   "All things being equal we expect inflation to start going down after June,” he said.   Monthly inflation, however, dipped to 1.4 percent in June, which is 0.6 percentage point lower than the 2 percent in May.   The non-food inflation rate exerted much influence on the overall rate with transport and clothing and footwear major contributors.   The year-on-year non-food inflation rate of 11.9 per cent was more than twice that of the food inflation rate of 5.4 per cent.   The major contributors to the food inflation rate of 5.4% were Bread and Cereals, Fish and Meat.   Central Region recorded the highest inflation rate of 12.2 percent while Upper East & West regions had the lowest rate of 5.1 percent.   Three regions Central, Ashanti and Greater Accra recorded inflation rates above the national average of 9.4 percent.   GNA...

Accra , July 11, GNA -Neonatal deaths, which constitute deaths that occur within the first four weeks of birth, constitute almost half of all deaths in children under the age of five in Ghana.       According to UNICEF, Ghana would not be able to meet the targets for the Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) unless there are significant reductions in the first four weeks of life.   There is however evidence and experience that almost 80 percent of these deaths are preventable through simple and relatively inexpensive measures and UNICEF believes that changing this would need the active collaboration of all stakeholders in the health sector and beyond including changes in behavior among families and communities.       Dr Isabella Sagoe-Moses, National Child Health Coordinator, Ghana Health Service (GHS) in an address at a stakeholders meeting on accelerating newborn health care in Ghana in Accra on Wednesday said Ghana has achieved some progress in under five mortality reduction in the past five years, but coverage and quality of interventions needed to be improved in order to attain the MDG 4 on reducing under five mortality rates by 2015.        The two-day meeting organized by UNICEF in collaboration with the GHS would discuss the parckage of neonatal health interventions outlined in Ghana’s Child Health policy and strategy and agree on the way forward in scaling up these in order to accelerate Ghana’s progress towards the MDG 4 on reducing maternal mortality by 2015.         The meeting would also examine the need and feasibility of other interventions that are currently in the Child Health Policy and develop consensus on the strategies for delivering the package of these interventions.        Dr Sagoe-Moses presented a clear picture of what pertains in Ghana including the various intervention that are stated in Ghana’s Child Health Care Policy and also outlined the bottle necks that poses major challenges to achieving significant reductions in neonatal mortality.        She said it was factual that 70 percent of neonatal deaths could be prevented by known, effective interventions delivered along the continuum of care, however major bottle necks such as persistent practices of harmful socio-cultural beliefs and practices, poor road networks, water and sanitation and other socio-economic factors continue to hinder the progress of improving access, quality and demand for quality neonatal health care in the country.        She said currently neonatal deaths constitute a significant portion under five mortality in the country, while indicators for neonatal mortality rate have not improved in the past 10 years.       However over 50 percent of these neonatal deaths are believed to take place at home, often unseen and uncounted, citing the three major causes of neonatal deaths as infections, asphyxia and preterm birth.         “In addition, lack of improvement in maternal health in Ghana continues to impair newborn survival,” she said.        Dr Sagoe-Moses said addressing specific bottlenecks in areas of access, quality and demand would require among other things improvement in information for planning, improved human resources, equipment and improving community practices through improvement in training manual and child records.              Dr Hari Krishna Banskota, UNICEF Representative, gave the global perspective of newborn care standards, practice and lessons learned, saying out of 7.6 million under-five mortality 3.1 million representing 40 percent occur in the newborn period globally, however there are Regional disparities in newborn survival and trends, but no significant changes have been recorded within the last decade.       He said strategic shift are therefore required for accelerating reduction of neonatal mortality, which could be possible through strengthened political commitment and leadership across sectors, good governance and accountability, empowerment of women to make decisions on reproductive health, adoption of functional health systems to context within the continuum of care and evidence-based programme prioritisation with equity.          Dr Banskota stressed that strong national leadership and partnership of key actors as well as the implementation of a National Newborn Health Strategy and action plan were critical for accelerating the newborn care as a priority.         He further indicated the need for improved care at the facility level with enhanced human resources, supplies and referral systems, as well as ensuring the integration of newborn care interventions into frontline health worker delivery platforms within the framework of continuum of Maternal and Neonatal Child Health Care.   GNA...

Kumasi, July 11, GNA – The Akyempimhene, Oheneba Adusei Poku, has expressed worry about the high incidence of maternal in the area and called for the situation to change.      He said it was unacceptable to see women die in the cause of childbirth, given the advances in technology and modern health care.      He advised couples to take reproductive health issues seriously and to plan the size of their families.      This, he said, would not only help to reduce the pressure on family budgets but give protection to the health of women and children. Oheneba Adusei Poku was speaking at the national launch of the 2012 world population day celebration in Kumasi.      The day, which is observed annually on July 11, has been instituted by the United Nations (UN) to draw attention to global issues affecting population dynamics, reproductive health and sustainable development.      This year’s event was under the theme “Universal access to reproductive health services.”      Oheneba Adusei Poku said it was curious that in spite of awareness about family planning services many people continue to refuse to space childbirth.      There was therefore the need for a sustained education to promote universal access to reproductive health services at all levels.      Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, said even though Ghana had made progress in reducing maternal deaths, improving access to reproductive health services including family planning remained a big challenge.      He attributed the inability of most women to accept and use modern family planning methods to fear of side effects, unfounded rumours, myths and misconceptions.      The Regional Minister said government was committed to improving access to quality health care and the promotion of maternal health in order to achieve the fifth target of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG).      He said emphasis was being placed on bringing population growth rate to a level that would support and help to sustain economic growth and social development.      Professor Stephen O. Kwankye, Executive Director of National Population Council (NPC), said the Council was working with all partners to reposition family planning as a development priority in Ghana.   GNA...

Tarkwa (W/R), July 11, GNA - The demand for electricity at the new municipal education office in Tarkwa will soon be over as Goldfields Ghana Limited, Tarkwa Mine, has promised to award a contract soon to connect electricity to the edifice.        According to the company, its corporate social responsibility considered initiatives on education as a major component of its community development agenda.         This was disclosed on Wednesday at a community consultative meeting organized by Goldfields Ghana Limited, Tarkwa mine for its catchment communities and stakeholders within the Tarkwa Nsuaem municipality.       The Tarkwa municipal education office which was commissioned in 2008 has since been operating without electricity and this has made working there quite difficult.       Mrs Christina Kobinah, the Municipal Chief Executive Officer for Tarkwa Nsueam, who was present at the meeting on her part, thanked Goldfields Ghana Limited, Tarkwa mine for their contribution towards the development of the municipality and the nation as a whole.      She said with the connection of electricity to the office, work will be easier for the staff and that the assembly is doing its best to develop other communities in the municipality as well.      She appealed to mining companies not to be upset with the increment of their tax adding that this will help government develop the country.   GNA...

Man slips and drowns in the Butre River     Mpohor (W/R), July 11, GNA -Tragedy struck the residents of Mpohor in the Western Region when information went round that Victor Kwame had drowned in the Butre River.      The Mpohor Police said the deceased went to farm with four of his friends at Mpohor in the early hours of Saturday July 7.      They said when they were returning home around 0900hours the same day, Kwame slipped on a wooden bridge along the Butre River and drowned shortly after.      The corpse has been deposited at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital awaiting autopsy.      The police have arrested the four friends who were with him to assist them in their investigations. GNA...

New Town Wharf (W/R), July 11, GNA -A 40-year old fisherman, Philemon Ahiato, is in the grips of the police for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 12-year old girl.      According to the New Town Wharf Police in the Jomoro District, the suspect called the victim who was selling kenkey to his house, in order to purchase some kenkey.      When the victim went to his house, Ahiato grabbed her and forcibly had sex with her.      The suspect then warned her not to disclose it to anyone or else she will die.      The police said four months later, the father, Uncle Kwasi detected that her daughter was pregnant and when he interrogated her, she mentioned Ahiato as the one responsible for the pregnancy.      Thus the father reported the issue to the police who arrested Ahiato and charged him with the offence. GNA...

Accra, July 11, GNA – Ghana has constructed a national park located between the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium and the Independence Square in honour of its  gallant heroes.      Mr Charles Nii Okine, Principal Landscape Designer of Parks and Gardens Division of the Castle, told the GNA that the park would serve as a tourist and recreational garden for people to relax under well-shaped trees.      Other features of the park include washrooms well sculptured statues and unique trees like the Thuga Orientalis, Cane Palm, Allamadan, Exora, and Thunberjia.      Mr Okine said the facility, which was constructed by Parks and Gardens in collaboration with National Security, was designed to honor national heroes of the 28 February shooting incident at the castle intersection, an event which occurred prior to our Independence in 1957.      He said among other things to be displayed at the park would include brochures of our national heroes so that people would have a fair knowledge of our past heroes.      Mr Okine assured the public of their safety as the National Security would provide security to safe guard the park and protect the visitors of the park. GNA...

Tarkwa (W/R), July 11 GNA - A 28-year old illegal miner, George Johnson Quansah, has been sentenced to 4 years imprisonment in hard labour for defrauding by false pretence.      Quansah pleaded guilty.      Chief Inspector Edward Paddy told the court presided over by Mr Samuel Obeng Diawuo that the complainant resided at Jerusalem, a suburb of Tarkwa and the convict is a squatter at Tarkwa Railway station.      He said on April 16, the complainant met the convict in front of the Ramsbeth super market in Tarkwa and introduced himself as a stranger from Prestea who had been sent by his father to sell gold and diamond at the First Samuel shop of the area.      Chief Inspector Paddy said the convict then asked the complainant to direct him to the First Samuel shop but the complainant said he was also a stranger in Tarkwa and hence did not know the shop.      He said in the process a colleague of the convict emerged from nowhere and told him that he could direct him to the shop and when the convict left to the shop his colleague engaged the complainant in a conversation and within some few minutes, the convict came back and claimed he had sold the diamond and that he was left with the gold which he wanted to share it to them.      Chief Inspector Paddy said the convict requested from the complainant to bring any money on him to enable him place his gold on the money for it to double.      He said the complainant gave him GH¢170 while the colleague added GH¢800 and the convict told the complainant to expect him on April 17.      Chief Inspector Paddy said when they met on the agreed day around 1030 hours he led the complainant to Life motors on the Tarkwa-Takoradi highway and asked him to bring all the money on him together with his mobile phone.      He said the complainant gave him GH¢350 and his Tecno mobile phone valued GH¢100 after which he gave the complainant a sealed polythene bag and asked him to open it after three days.      Chief Inspector Paddy said the complainant after receiving the polythene wanted to remove his SIM card from his phone and to his surprise he found papers cut in the form of money in an envelope and a stone in the polythene.      The Prosecutor said on that same day around 1300 hours the complainant spotted Quansah at the Ramsbeth supermarket and he raised alarm which attracted several people to the scene subjected him to severe beating.     He said a police officer appeared at the scene and rescue him from the mob. GNA...

Saltpond (C/R), July 11, GNA – The Mfantsiman Girls Senior High School Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is in a process of procuring laptop computers for the teachers of the School.   Mrs Theodora Froko, Chairperson of the PTA, who announced this at a meeting held at the School, said the executives of the Association had entered into an agreement with rlg, a computer company for the supply of the laptops.   She said the laptops would facilitate the work of the teachers and also help in storing important information.   Mrs Froko appealed to parents to motivate the teachers, who were saddled with the preparation of two separate year-groups of students, writing the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2013.   “We need to help the teachers to get the impetuous to prepare the students for the examination,” she said.   The Headmistress, Ms Charlotte A. Addo appealed to parents and guardians to register their wards with the National Health Insurance Scheme and ensure that they come to the school with their insurance card to enable them to access free health delivery service.   The Headmistress urged parents and guardians to impress upon their wards to study at home during vacations.   “Books don’t go on holidays, and Mfantsiman Girls is not a School where students go to look for only a classmate,” she stressed.   Dr Derrick Akyeampong Bonsu, Medical Superintendent of the Saltpond Municipal Hospital talked about the importance of the Health Insurance concept and said it had helped to reduce maternal deaths in the country.   He said the NHIS Cards were very necessary for people who stayed away from their “breadwinners.”   Mrs Miriam Adjei-Amponsem, Assistant Headmistress, Academics, expressed concern about delay by students in reporting to school after vacation, saying, “Such attitudes affect the progress of work in the School.”     GNA...

Bechem (B/A), July 11, GNA – The heavy reliance on Arts subjects in the educational system other than Science continues to do more harm than good to the nation’s developmental structure.      Mr. Nathan Pecku, Director in-charge of Special Education at the Ghana Education Service, (GES) said this at a workshop organised by some JICA volunteers in the Tano South District Office of GES for Junior High School (JHS) students of Bechem School for the Deaf, at Bechem.      Mr. Pecku said it was an open secret that the concentration on Arts subjects for majority of students in second cycle institutions was creating a vacuum in the nation’s technological development.       He said the few teaching staff manning sciences at the nation’s Basic and Second Cycle institutions attested to his point, and assured that all efforts were being made by the GES to entice teachers and students to take keen interest in the study of Science, so that Ghana could move abreast with the globally Information Communication Technology (ICT) competition.       Mr. Pecku said efforts in promoting the study of Sciences in the country must start right from the training of teachers from our Colleges of Education (formerly known as Training Colleges), stressing that, it was only when more Science teachers were produced for the subject at the basic level that more students would develop interest for the subject to continue to SHS.      He said the Ghana National Association of Deaf Students was collaborating with its counterparts in Holland to start sign language training for Special Education teachers in Ghana, and urged teachers of Bechem School for the Deaf to capitalize on the opportunity when everything was set.      Ms. Haruna Morino, leader of the eight-member JICA Volunteers, who is also attached to the Tano South District Office of the GES, in her remark said, the workshop, which was organised in collaboration with other JICA Volunteers in Ghana also formed part of the Organization’s 35th celebration event of the relationship between the two countries (Japan and Ghana).      Other volunteers, who conducted a number of practical experiments to emphasize more about the subjects’ content of the workshop, included Mr. Shinichi Izumi of Saint Andrew College of Education, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ms. Kanae Ishifuji, a Computer tutor, Jamasi School for the Deaf in the Ashanti Region and Mr.Takenori Aoki, of Akatse College of Education in the Volta Region.     Mrs. Veronica Ayeh, Headmistress of Bechem School for the Deaf, thanked the volunteers for organizing the workshop for the students.      Mrs. Ayeh urged the Board of Directors of the school to assist in organising similar workshops to educate both the teaching staff and the students to update their memory on science subjects.      The experiments were based on four subjects namely, “Electrical jar”, “Making fire through stone”, “Plastic bottle rocket”, and “Oxygen propelled burning”.         GNA  ...

  Bisease (C/R), July 11, GNA – Miss Hannah Ampoma Mensah, a 23-year-old student of the Institute of Professional Studies has been declared winner to represent the Central Region in the “Ghana Most Beautiful 2012”.   Her identification name is “Ama 1788”.   The organisers and promoters, TV3, officially introduced Ama 1788 to the chiefs and people of Ajumako Bisease in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District of the Central Region at a grand durbar at Bisease, her hometown.   Ama 1788 was accompanied by her parents, Mr Justice Kojo Mensah and Margaret Yaayaa Mensah and other relations.   Mr Prince Darkey, Brand Manager and Miss Naa Klordey, presenters of the programme, officially introduced Ama to the people.   According to Mr Darkey similar durbars had been held in the Volta, Eastern, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Upper East, Upper West and Northern and that the main programme to select the winners out of the 10 Regions would start from five August to October 2012.   Ama 1788 expressed appreciation and gratitude for the massive turnout to welcome her and said her success so far was the work of the Almighty God and assured the people good Lord would continue to work for her to make her the overall winner to bring glory and honour to Central Region, the District and the people of Bisease.   Present was the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Ato Forson who congratulated Ama 1788 for her success and appealed to the people of Central Region to support Ama by texting Ama 1788 to the sponsors to enable her come out of the competition with flying colours.   The Benkumhen of Bisease, Nana Kweku Bodaa IV was full of praises for Ama 1788 and advised the youth especially the girl-child to take inspiration from Ama 1788, learn hard and emulate her shining example.   Ama 1788 was given gifts including gold ornaments and clothes to enable her go through the competition and advised her to consult the traditional authorities for any advice and help when the need arises.         GNA...

Cape Coast, July 11, GNA - The Manager   of the Central Region Catholic Education Unit, Mrs Doris Eshun, on Tuesday called on NGOs and the government to consider giving teachers training in computer studies to enhance quality delivery.     She said though it is laudable to introduce ICT in the school curriculum, it was unfortunate that teachers who were supposed to teach the subject have very little knowledge on the subject thereby making it very difficult to effectively teach it.       Mrs Eshun said this when she inaugurated a computer centre donated by Global Host Project, an NGO, to the  Duakor Catholic Primary and Junior  High  schools  at Duakor,  a settler fishing community near the University of Cape Coast.       The centre, which has five laptops and two desktop computers, was jointly built by GHP and Mr Sean and Ms Connie Bashaw volunteers with Global Host Project at the cost of 6,000.00 dollars.         Mrs Eshun also appealed to the government and district assemblies to connect rural schools to the national electricity grid or provide such schools with solar panels to enable them make use of their computer centres, stressing those most rural schools have computers but could not use them due to the lack of electricity.           She appealed to school authorities to source some funds to enable them purchase more computers to meet the demands of the school.        Ms Nicole Michelle Beauchamp, Executive Director of GHP, commended the chiefs and people of Duakor for their support which made it possible for GHP to build the centre and urged the students to take advantage of the computers to improve upon their technology skills.        Mr  Odua Kwesi  Sampson,  Country Director of GHP,  said the lack of  facilities for effective teaching of ICT  in basic schools had hindered the development  of ICT education and that  in most cases teachers and pupils  could not  upgrade their skills  because the facilities  for the subjects were in adequate or nonexistent.               Mr Ebenezer Pittston, the head teacher of the schools, thanked GHP for the donation and promised that the computers would be put to  good use  since they would be shared with  schools in the surrounding communities like Okyese, Ahenborboi  and Abakam.       GNA...

Hohoe, July 11, GNA – Akpene Mensah, described by the police as notorious criminal, and his accomplice, KorsiAhiadzese, a fetish priest from Santrokofi, have been remanded by a Hohoe magistrate court.   The police are looking for two of their accomplices. Mensah and Ahiadzese would re-appear in court on July 24 charged for conspiracy and stealing.   MrAgyeman Badu, Police Detective Chief Inspector, told the court that the complainant who was returning from Gbi-Godenu saw a taxi carrying a fridge that he suspected to his.   He said the complainant followed the taxi to the Gbi-Wegbe taxi rank and talked to its driver who said he picked the fridge on orders of Mensah who claimed he was asked to take carry it for repairs.   Mr Badu said the complainant went home and found that his personal effects including electrical appliances, six fridges, a chain-saw machine and six mattresses were missing.   He said the driver took the complainant to the house of the fetish priest at Santrokofi-Benua where the fridge was earlier loaded onto his car.   Mr Badu said a complaint was subsequently made to the police and Mensah and Ahiadzese, who is alleged to be the spiritual backbone of the syndicate, were arrested from their hideouts at Kpando and Segbedeme.   Two mattresses and two double-decker fridges have been reclaimed and Police are making efforts to apprehend the remaining accomplices.     GNA...