News
C/R Minister commends school heads for COVID-19 combat readiness
The Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has commended senior high schools in the region for the preparations they have put in place to welcome final year SHS students as well as SSS two ( gold track) students.
He said “per what I have seen so far, the schools are ready and we urged both students and teachers to comply with the established protocols.”
Mr Duncan expressed this when he toured some senior high schools in the Cape Coast metropolis to acquaint himself with health protocols instituted to keep the students safe from the COVID-19.
He was accompanied by the Central Regional Police Commander, Commissioner of Police (COP) Paul Manly Awini, the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Akosua Sarpong and the Regional Director of Education, Mrs Martha Agyemang.
The visit was to have first hand information on their level of preparedness for welcoming both final year SHS students as well as form two students on the gold track.
Some of the schools visited were Wesley Girls School, Holy Child School, Adisadel College, St Augustine’s College, Academy of Christ the King, and Aggrey Memorial Zion School.
Mr Duncan indicated that placing of Veronica buckets, taking of temperature of students and record of parents, among other things, by the schools meant that the heads of the schools were not taking chances.
He further reiterated the government’s commitment in supporting the schools to create a conducive atmosphere to prevent the spread of the virus in the institutions.
The regional minister urged the heads of all schools not to relent on their oars as the nation adopts measures to halt the spread of the pandemic.
Mr Duncan commended the regional directors of health and education for their efforts at sensitising people on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, he expressed appreciation to COP Awini for ensuring the enforcement of the various safety protocols put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.
Mr Duncan applied to media practitioners and journalists in the region to avoid sensationalism and also crosscheck information before publishing such.
All the heads of the various SHS visited indicated that they were adequately prepared to welcome the form three SHS students as well as the form two students on the gold track.
“We are ready to welcome our students to campus since we have received our face masks, Veronica buckets, sanitisers and thermometer guns” the headmistress of the Holy Child, Mrs Anastasia Thomford Okyere said.
She said, as of 3:30 p.m. on Monday, a total of 480 students had arrived at the school, adding that the school was expecting 439 and 343 form three and forms two students respectively.
For her part, the headmistress for Wesley Girls High School, Mrs Kay Oppong Nkrumah said that the school had put in place strict protocols on campus to ensure that the students were protected.
At the Mfantsipim School, the headmaster, Rev. Ebenezer Aidoo, told the minister and his team that the school had made provision for all staff to pass through a designated point of entry which, he said, would result in the registering of all students before they would be allowed to enter the school.
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
