News
SHSs reopen today! … as heads pledge to support govt to enforce COVID-19 protocols after disinfection of schools by Zoomlion
The Headmasters and headmistresses of senior high schools (SHSs) and junior high schools (JHSs) in the Ashanti Region have given assurance of their readiness to support government to enforce the COVID-19 safety protocols in their schools to protect the final-year students to write their exit examinations.
They gave the assurance when Zoomlion Ghana Limited last Wednesday extended its nationwide disinfection of SHSs and JHSs to the Ashanti Region.
The exercise, collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, was part of measures by the government to protect students and pupils in SHSs and JHSs respectively from contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 10thh address to the nation on measures on COVID-19 directed final-year students of both JHSs and SHSs to go back to school.
In the case of final-year SHS students and Form Two Gold Track Students, they are expected to report back to school today while final-year JHS pupils are expected to resume on June 29.
The President’s directive is to allow final-years of SHSs and JHSs to be prepared to write their exit examinations.
The exercise in the Ashanti Region started in earnest on Tuesday, June 16, and was aimed at getting rid of germs, bacteria and viruses in the both the SHSs and JHSs.
Among the schools which benefited from the exercise were the Adventist Senior High School, Our Lady of Apostles School, Asem Cluster of Schools, Atonsu Bethel Presby Experimental School etc.
Addressing journalists at the Atonsu Bethel Presby Experimental School, the headmaster of the school, Rev. James Dapaah, indicated that his school was earnestly putting plans in place in readiness for the re-opening.
According to him, his school has 129 final-year pupils, adding that in observing the social distancing protocol, the pupils would be divided into groups and would be accommodated in the Form 1 and 2 classrooms.
He disclosed that the school had decided to put the pupils in groups of 25 to ensure that the social and physical distancing protocol was observed to protect them against COVID-19.
At the Asem Cluster of Schools in the Asokwa Municipal Assembly of Kumasi, the headmaster of the school, Mr Samuel Asare Kwarteng, hinted that his school was counting on the support of the government to make available the needed personal protection equipment.
The administrator of Our Lady of Apostle, Madam Anne Andoh, which school also benefited from the exercise, disclosed that her school as part of measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 had engaged the services of a nurse who would be tasked to take temperatures of every student and staff members.
“And instead of 28 pupils in each class, we have resolved to reduce the number to 14,” she added.
Source: Ghanaian Times
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa