News
Deputy Minister for Education condemns obnoxious textbook
The Deputy Minister for Education, John Ntim Fordjour has condemned
Excellence Publications for publishing a textbook that denigrates Christianity.
The book titled History of Ghana for Basic Schools, authored by Francis Benjamin Appiah and Henry David Appiah has a page which lists some points about the negative effect of Christian missionary activities.
In a tweet, the Deputy Minister condemned the book saying it is obnoxious.
According to Mr.Fordjour, who is also a Member of Parliament for Assin South, the content is appalling and misconceived.
Against this commended and supported NaCCA’s swift action to recall the books and apply sanction.
The tweet read “I condemn entirely the rather obnoxious content found in a textbook published by ‘Excellence Publications’ and smuggled into the market for unsuspecting learners. The content is appalling and misconceived. I support NaCCA’s swift action to recall the books and apply sanctions. Ghana is most peaceful for a reason, and the important place of religion cannot be undermined.”
This has ignited a debate with some parents expressing concerns about how a book approved by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) could vilify religion and Christianity.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
President Mahama meets Kantamanto traders
President John Dramani Mahama has reached out to traders affected by the recent fire at Kantamanto Market in Accra.
The President in a meeting with the traders today, January 12, 2025, acknowledged the heavy loss and assured them of his administration’s support.
He said “One of the first things we need to do is to prevent these outbreaks from happening. In some cases, it might be due to long wiring and the use of inferior materials.”
He continued to say,“But in some cases, we cannot rule out what we call arson, that is people deliberately setting fire to cause destruction.”
Recounting similar situations in the past, he said, “I remember it happened before in 2013, when I was sworn in as president,there were market fires in almost every market which was quite unusual, and in many cases, the investigations show that people deliberately set fire to just cause chaos and confusion.”
He therefore said, “We need to look at how to prevent it from happening again, how to alleviate their plight, and how the market should be rebuilt.”
“We held a meeting with the security heads today to see how we can tighten security around all the major markets to prevent any such occurrence,” he added.
The President in the meeting with the traders concluded by saying “Just this morning we heard about the Techiman market fire, so it looks like something which is going to continue and we need to take quick steps to address it. We are asking the Fire Service to deploy fire tenders close to where there are major markets at night and installation of CCTV cameras at various markets.”
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
E-levy will be scrapped immediately – Dr.Ato Forson
Minister for Finance Designate, Dr.Casiel Ato Forson has assured Ghanaians that the E-Levy introduced by the past government will be scrapped immediately.
According to him, his position on the E-Levy has not changed.
He said it should not always be about revenue, adding that there is also the need to look at expenditure.
The Minister for Finance Designate stressed that the tax had not produced the expected revenue and had instead burdened the sector without benefiting the broader economy.
Against this backdrop, Dr Forson also reiterated his strong stance on the controversial E-levy, saying his position on the matter had not changed.
“My position on the e-levy is well known. I have written articles about it, and my position has not changed,” he stated.
He raised concerns about the classification of the levy, calling it neither a direct nor an indirect tax. “I don’t know how to classify it,” he added, questioning its efficacy in the current fiscal system.
This notwithstanding, he said, the E-levy must go and will be scrapped immediately.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
