Editorial
A.M.E Zion School cries for help to fix fence, build new classrooms
A section of students in the class
The Headmistress of the A.M.E Zion School in Koforidua Madam Salome, says that students, teaching staff and other workers feel unsecured in the school due to the lack of a fence on its boundaries.
She described an incident that occurred between a teacher and a boy in the area that belongs to a group referred to as ‘marijuana boys.’
She said that these boys have been using the classrooms as hostels, and sometimes they do not want to leave the classroom for students and teachers to start lessons.
This behaviour forced one of the teachers to confront these boys and if it had not been for God on the side of the teacher, they would have killed him.
The activities of these boys have become a nuisance in not just the school but the neighbouring parts of the town.
“Our school is not fenced, and that makes it susceptible for vehicles and motorcycles to use the campus as a road in order to avoid traffic and drive through as a shortcut route for them to reach their destination,” she added.
She said that some vehicles move with very disturbing and interrupting noise, which is very bad as it affects students’ ability to focus fully on what their teachers may be teaching at that particular time.
A student’s attention can be distracted from the lesson by the noise that comes from the moving vehicles, which can make them miss some key words or sentences that may be essential to understanding the lesson, and sometimes the teachers would have to pause for the moving vehicles to pass before they continue with the lesson.
It puts students at risk of being knocked down by the vehicles, which might result in death or deformation.
Another challenge she spoke about was the lack of chairs and tables for the students to sit on.
She said four students shares one mono desk. The classrooms are not spacious for more tables and chairs.
Talking to some of the students, they said the classrooms become very hot in the afternoon because they are many and the windows are small. This makes teaching and learning difficult for both the teachers and the students.
According to Madam Salome, this has been one major nightmare the school has been dealing with for some time now and would appreciate if the authorities treat the situation as urgent.
She said the school wishes to undertake the walling or fencing as its own project but lack the funds to do so.
She has asked for funds or any kind of support from non-governmental organisations, stakeholders, parents and concerned people to come to the aid of the school to help them put up a fence around the school.
“The wellbeing of the school children and the teachers must be paramount to all; that is why we are urging philanthropists and other organisations to come to our aid. Apart from the fence, we also need more classrooms to enable the student to learn in decent classrooms and provided with more tables and chairs.
Boakye Patricia
(Ghana Institute of Journalism)
Editorial
Let’s respect the dead
Dear Editor,
Growing up as a young man, I watched how families of deceased persons paid respect to their beloved ones.
Right from the mortuary to the funeral grounds, the mortal remains of the deceased are always handled with respect to honour them.
Most of the time, individuals who visit the mortuary to bring the body of the deceased home were required to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water.
A traditional belief holds that seeing or coming into contact with dead bodies portends a bad omen and may require spiritual cleansing.
However, in recent times, I have seen a number of videos on social media where corpses are handled without care.
In some of these videos, one could see the body of the corpse carried on the shoulders of friends or being made to stand while friends and families touch and take pictures with it.
I find that weird and at the same time disturbing and thinks a lot about the health implications.
According to some health experts, such an act poses a threat to public health as one may not know the cause of the death of the deceased.
Some have predicted that Ghana could face health crisis such as disease transmission as a result of the pathogens present in decomposing bodies, if care was not taken.
As a concerned individual, I share in the view of the health experts.
I believe that if care is not taken, the actions of the youth in handling dead bodies could lead to the spread of diseases.
I, therefore urge the Ghana Health Service to take the issue seriously and address it to avoid any possible future health crisis.
Atom,
Korle-bu
Editorial
Prevent Keta Township from being engulfed by sea
Have you ever dreamed about waking up to discover that everything you own—including your mattress, roof, and all of your memories – has been lost to the sea?
Since the sea has consumed a sizable portion of Keta in the Volta region, the town’s citizens are in a pitiful position. The sooner action is taken to save the town, the better off everyone will be.
The destruction of the Keta by the sea needs to be addressed immediately, or else the township would eventually be submerged under the water.
Our reporter’s visit showed that this once-thriving seaside resort is gradually disappearing. Keta was once a thriving town known for its business, but now some areas are in ruins, with some of the locals looking on in wonder at the destruction caused by the water.
For the residents of Keta, the Atlantic Ocean is no longer a far-off blue horizon. These days, it relentlessly and without invitation circles around their doorsteps, tearing down walls and other structures, erasing memories, and endangering lives.
Many locals have been forced to live with family or friends after the sea destroyed their homes years ago, and other residents find it hard to comprehend that their once-livable habitat is now in ruins.
The problem is that, apart from residences, Keta’s cultural identity being anchored by monuments are gradually disappearing. One remnant of the transatlantic slave trade, the once-imposing Fort Prinzenstein, is now more of a ruin than a monument.
Once more, the ancient cinema where generations of children used to laugh at flickering black-and-white pictures is no longer there, as is the Bremen factory from the colonial era.
Among other things, the original police station has vanished, and Queen Street, which was once the town’s busy backbone, is now a flooded hallway clogged with rubble. There is still more work to be done despite previous attempts to address the issue since the town is fighting while the sea is winning.
Although water is life, in this instance, it is ruining people’s homes. The situation is serious since the water is destroying the town’s past as quickly as it is claiming its future, despite nature taking its course.
But as humans, our Creator has endowed us with the intelligence to solve problems. The historic town of Keta is now shrouded in uncertainty as the remains of a once-inhabited township are submerged and engulfed by the approaching seas along its coast.
Therefore, it is more efficient to have everyone working together to find a long-term solution to this terrible issue
