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We should not look down on technical education – Dr J.B. Danquah Esq.
Dr. Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah
It is unfortunate for some Ghanaians to relate technical education to the weak minds.
This notion, according to legal practitioner and Chief Executive Officer of Joevide Company Limited in Kumasi, Dr. Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah, grand-nephew of Dr. J.B. Danquah (of blessed Memory), does not hold water.
“Secondary School is not the only means through which someone can go to a university,” he stressed.
The legal practitioner who held technical education in high esteem early in his life saw it (technical education) as one of the possible paths he could take, wholeheartedly to attain his dream.
As a result, he opted for St. Paul Technical School (SPATS) at Akyem-Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region and Studied Block Laying and Concreting (BLAC).
Basic Education
Dr. Danquah ESQ attended Kyebi Presbyterian Primary as well as Kyebi L/A Experimental then to Koforidua Wisdom Preparatory and later to the Koforidua Junior High School (JHS) as the pioneer of the Experimental System.
And after JHS, his class mates went to secondary school but he stuck to his father’s pieces of advice and went to a Technical School.
“My father told us that every child of his must be able to feed himself and live meaningful life after school.
Lawyer Dr. Danquah said that his father considered technical education more important because anybody who attended a technical school in those days could easily get employment compared with secondary school leavers.
“In my father’s opinion, it was easier for a technical school leaver to get a job than a Secondary School Form Five (5) leaver,” he said.
He further stated that true to his father’s advice, he (Dr. Danquah) did not become a wayward child when his father died in 1983 because he (Dr. Danquah) was already in a technical school and spent all the holidays at construction site working to earn an income for his upkeep.
“I was always at the construction site carrying blocks and mortar for a living following the constructive advice of my father to go to a technical school,” he emphasised.
He says that “one can attain the highest educational qualification in this world through other means rather than secondary education.
Dr. Danquah said that in the course of his sterling performance at the various sites, he realised that there was a brighter chance for him to be a Supervisor or a Site Engineer one day if he could further his education to put him on a higher pedestal in this technological world.
“I have never regretted in doing a technical course. Technical education is the foundation of the developed economy in the world,” he stressed.
Further Education
To enjoy the benefits of technical education, the C.E.O of Joevide Company Limited weighed the available options and entered the Takoradi Polytechnic, now Takoradi Technical University, and obtained Ordinary Technician Diploma in Building and Civil Engineering which broadened his horizon in studying Mathematices, Building Construction and Drawing, Properties of Material, Land Surveying, Workshop Practice and Technology, Structures and Design as well as Elementary Quantity Surveying.
The aforestated subjects could make Lawyer Dr. Danquah decide to work in the building industry or otherwise.
Work Experience
The hardworking C.E.O. of Joevide Company worked at Sae Sadelmi as Quantity Surveyor, Limex Bau (a German Company) and with his firm technical background, he came into contact with some quantity Surveyors and Civil Engineers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
He said that by dint of hard work coupled with his background in technology appreciated by the Resident German Director of Limex Bau, he rose to become the Chief Engineer of the company in a matter of three years.
But he later resigned and established his own company by name “Joevide Company Limited” which had undertaken several road and building projects as the main contractors and sub contractors in various parts of the country.
Some of his company’s clients are Goil, Total, Consar, Getfund, some Municipal Assemblies, DANIDA, Ghana Highway Authority, Department of Feeder Roads, AGDECO (a British Company) and MSF Construction among other reputable organisations.
He joined lecturers from selected technical universities who had been granted permission to pursue their Master’s Degree at HAN University in the Netherlands after which he decided to read law ie LLB and LLM at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.
During his studies for his two Master’s degrees, his Dissertation earned him Doctor of Business Administration in Leadership and strategic Management (Honoris Causa).
Advice
Dr. J.B Danquah Esq. advised the youth to see perseverance as the key to whatever one wants to achieve in life. He again urged the youth to heed to wise counsel as there was no short cut to success.
He is married to Mrs. Vida Danquah and they have Kojo Katakyie, Kofi Kantinka, Kwesi Kokroko, Nana Yaw Obrempong and Nhyira Mamfoah as their children.
By Castro Zangina-Tong
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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
