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Celebrating women of substance: Meet Very Rev. Dr Mrs Betty Frances Baidoo
● Very Rev. Dr. Mrs Betty Frances Baidoo
As the voices calling for increased inclusion and opportunities for women get louder, a significant number of female professionals continue to prove their mettle in sectors which used to be the preserve of men.
This year’s International Women’s Day celebration was focused on helping bridge the gender gap in the digital space as the ratio of men to women in the area of technology remains unsatisfactory.
That notwithstanding, the day further presents an opportunity to recognise the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women at all levels.
In the spirit of celebrating outstanding women, The Spectator puts the spotlight on Very Rev. Dr Mrs Betty Frances Baidoo whose hardwork and tenacity has resulted in her obtaining Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Guidance and Counselling.
She has been a Tutor/Educationist since 1984 and rose through the ranks at different institutions in different regions until the highest academic qualification was conferred on her last week.
BACKGROUND
Very Rev. Dr Mrs Baidoo is a woman of diverse talents and capabilities. In addition to being a Reverend Minister, she is a marriage consultant, love therapist and an expert in handling divorce cases. She was Assistant Headmistress (Administration) at St John’s Grammar School prior to her retirement from the Ghana Education Service.
Born, January 1, 1963 at Aburi Akuapim in the Eastern Region, she is the first of five females born into a priesthood family of which two other siblings are priests; her parents are the Rt Rev. E.K Baiden, a Methodist minister and Ms Rose Baidoo both of blessed memory.
She has been married to Mr Kingsely Baidoo for the past 34 years with five children and six grandchildren. The mother and counsellor has over the years dedicated herself to making a positive impact in her chosen career and help transform lives as a female priest in the Methodist Church Ghana.
Clearly, her hardwork and tenacity has paid off as she encourages other young women to aspire for greatness, irrespective of obstacles they may be confronted with.
Speaking to The Spectator after her Hooding Ceremony recently, the industrious woman of many parts, said women are supposed to complement the effort of men but they should still be willing to take bold steps and consider themselves competent in taking up leadership or managerial roles.
EDUCATION
Rev Dr Mrs Baidoo started her basic education at Mmofra Turom at Kumasi and then proceeded to Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast where she completed and obtained a GCE ‘O’ Level Certificate in 1981 before proceeding to Wesley College, Kumasi, for the Teacher’s Certificate ‘A’ in 1984.
From 2000 to 2004, she studied at the University of Education, Winneba and graduated with Bachelor of Education (BED) in Home Economics. She continued teaching until 2010 when she started a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) course in Guidance and Counselling at the University of Education, Winneba and graduated in 2014.
Two years later, she began her Doctorate Degree in Guidance and Counselling at University of Cape Coast and graduated in 2021.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Rev. Dr Mrs Baidoo’s passion for teaching started at a tender age of 21 years at the Junior Secondary School at Dunkwa-On-Offin in the Central Region. She worked there for two years before moving to the Methodist Middle School at Takoradi in the Western Region.
Between 1990 and 1995, she was at the Rev. Grant JSS at Efiakuma, Takoradi before moving to Akim Oda in the Eastern Region, where she became a Class Teacher, at Freeman Junior High School (JHS).
She further spent seven years teaching at Apam Senior High School prior to becoming a Chaplain and Counsellor at St. Johns Grammar School in 2011.
At St. Johns Grammar School, she held different portfolios including being a Home Economics tutor, Acting Head of Home Economics Department, and Senior Housemistress. Between 2018 and 2020 she was Assistant headmistress (Domestic Welfare).
In 2020 she was elevated to the rank of Assistant Headmistress (Administration) at the same institution.
MINISTERIAL WORK
Currently handling the Anyaa Section of the Awoshie Circuit of the Methodist Church, Rev. Dr Mrs Baidoo has been the Auxiliary Minister at the Grace Society at Kwabenya.
She was the Caretaker Minister at Awortwi Pratt, Gomoa Ajumako Society from 2008 -2011 and went ahead to become the Auxiliary Minister at other church establishments in Accra including St John’s Society, Tantra Hill, Mt Zion Society, Dome, and the Allotey Memorial Society, Asofan.
Her ministerial work also saw her occupy Chaplain positions in local church Circuits such as SUWMA-Kwabenya Circuit, SUWMA-New Achimota Circuit, among others.
She again served as Chairperson of the Coordinating Office for Education and Youth Development, while doubling as Society Secretary of Christ’s Little Band at Apam from 2006 – 2010.
QUALITIES
Throughout her career, Rev. Dr Mrs Betty Frances Baidoo demonstrated excellent leadership and constantly implemented new ideas to help improve the standard of her students and staff. All of these were possible as a result of her effective communication and administrative skills, and the application of good judgment in all endeavours.
In 2009, she was adjudged Best Teacher, Vocational Division in the Gomoa-West Education Directorate. In 2010, she became the Best Teacher, Vocational Division in the Central Region.
She loves conducting research, reading, counselling, and ensuring discipline at all levels of social engagement. No wonder she became the Chairperson of the Disciplinary Committee at St. John’s Grammar School.
OTHER ENGAGEMENTS
Rev. Dr Mrs Baidoo chaired many committees and excelled in other capacities throughout her career. She chaired the Synod Committee of the Northern Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church and also led the COVID-19 team at St. John’s Grammar from 2020 to 2021.
She is a member of the Diocesan Advisory Team for Gender at the Northern Accra Diocese from 2020 to 2021, and was the Chairperson of the Coordinating Office for Social Service at New Achimota Circuit from 2018- 2022.
In 2011, she was a Member of the Counselling Committee at St. John’s Grammar School, and a Member of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Oversight Committee in Gomoa West District in the Central Region from 2009 to 2011.
She was Chairman of the Ghana Home Economics Association, in Gomoa West from 2009 to 2011, and GNAT Local Secretary, at Sekondi in the Western Region from 1992-1998, as well as School Guidance Coordinator at Freeman Junior High School at Akim Oda in the Eastern Region from 1998 to 1999.
By Ernest Nutsugah
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
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Cervical Cancer alert: Avoid sex at early age
The Programmes Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commeh, has advised young girls to avoid sex at an early age.
This, she explained, will give the cervix the opportunity to mature before they become sexually active.
“You need to delay what we call the first sexual intercourse as much as possible to give the cervix the opportunity to mature before the person becomes sexually active,” she said.
Dr Commeh stated this in an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday as a part of the Cervical Cancer awareness month.
According to her, cervical cancer was the second leading female cancer in Ghana with a total of about 3,072 cases annually, and out of that, 1,815 deaths are recorded, representing more than 50 per cent.
She indicated that “If young girls are going to be sexually active, then you need to talk to your parents about being vaccinated.”
She explained that vaccinating young girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found to be a very effective way of preventing cervical cancer.
“There are countries that started HPV vaccination years ago and they are not seeing any cervical cancers now because they would have eliminated most of the high-risk HPVs in their women. So if the high-risk HPV is not there, then obviously the results on cervical cancers are going to go down,” she added.
Dr Commmey said the HPV vaccination is recommended for young girls aged nine to 14 years, adding that it had been found to be highly effective, not just for cervical cancers but for other HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancers, cancers of the vagina, genital warts, amongst others.
She further elaborated that the idea is to put up a barrier before the HPV comes in and that once a young female encounters it, she is already protected.
She also mentioned that for cervical cancers, the main cause is called HPV infection, saying generally, all sexually active women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
However, the Programmes Manager of NCDs at the GHS mentioned that the body has a way of clearing the HPV, explaining that it is a natural mechanism that goes on, unfortunately, there are a few women whose HPV persists.
Moreover, she noted that the numbers for Cervical Cancer tend to be much higher because at times, clients would wait, and try all sorts of medications before they finally report to the health facility saying “we actually lose some women before they get to the hospitals with over 75 per cent of the cases coming in its third and fourth stages.”
Dr Commey, therefore, called for public awareness while ensuring the availability of information for prevention and control.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
