Education Minister receives ‘Change-Makers’ Award

The award is in recognition of his leadership in driving a new teacher training model for Ghana

The award was in recognition of the Minister’s leadership in driving a new teacher training model for Ghana, under government’s current policy reform on teacher education, to improve the quality of pre-service teacher training.

In an acceptance speech read on his behalf by Mr. Akwasi Addae Boahene, Chief Technical Advisor of the Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL) Programme, Dr. Prempeh pointed out that Ghana is currently pursuing a new design, a new direction and a new focus of teacher education that will contribute immensely to the improvement of learning outcomes.

‘Change-Makers’ Awards celebrates individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions that improve the quality of lives through education. The Award was sponsored by the Rep. Henry Cueller, United States Congressional Representative for Texas’s 28th District. Mr. Cueller has served since January 4th , 2005.

The 62nd ICET World Assembly was on the theme, “Expanding Access and Exploring Frontiers in Education’, represents a call to action for explorers and pioneers redefining the frontier of teacher education, and brought together scholars, administrators, practitioners and community members, as well as members of government ministries and business leaders for a substantive discussion of innovative approaches to expanding access and exploring frontiers in education.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has been awarded the 2018 Change-Maker Award (Quality Education Category) at the 62nd International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET) World Assembly, which took place at Texas A&M International University’s College of Education (TAMIU), in Laredo, Texas, USA.

For more news go to Starrfmonline.com.

Body of UEW student who went missing washed ashore

The body of the University of Education, Winneba student who got drowned on August 17 has been found.

Sarah Kwarteng went missing at the Oasis beach in Cape Coast where some university students, taking part in a conference at the University of Cape Coast, had gone for a photo shoot.

Her body was washed ashore Sunday afternoon at Duakor near Cape Coast which is located between the University of Cape Coast and the Elmina beach.

The body has been sent to the UCC hospital morgue, Central Regional Police PRO, DSP Irene Oppong has confirmed to TV3.

Five students got drowned on the fateful day after they were hit by a tidal wave in which all were rescued except Sarah.

Unfortunately, one of the four rescued students, Lilian Ampofowaa Asiedu of the University of Ghana, Accra Campus, died on her way to the hospital.

The other three, Faustina Akaime of the Kings University, Kasoa; Sharon Badonye, Methodist University, Dansoman; and the Frank Boateng Garden City University, Kumasi are on admission at the Cape Coast University Hospital.
 Source: 3news.com

Duration is important but competence of the teacher is key – Opoku-Agyeman

Former Education Minister, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang

Former Education Minister, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has highlighted competency and training in schools as an equally important factor in promoting academic excellence in the country’s schools.

She made these comments while touching on the 3-year/four-year systems and its impact on output as far as education particularly in our secondary schools is concerned.

Prof. Opoku-Agyeman, speaking to Kwabena Kyenkyenhene Boateng on the '21 Minutes with KKB’ show though acknowledged the importance of duration in education maintained that the training of teachers to build competence is a key element that cannot be underestimated.

“If you look at all the reforms in this country, from the guggisburg right down to the last one that was done by professor Anamoah Mensah, the running theme is duration and our children spend too much time. Duration is important but what is equally important is the training of the teacher, the competence of the teacher”

She was emphatic about the need for governments and key stakeholders including teachers to also focus on creating the right learning environment and providing the required learning materials for schools to aid their academic performances. The environment she asserted, has significant impact on the output of schools.

“Duration is important but what is equally important is the training of the teacher that is key, the competency of the teacher is very very key, the availability of learning materials whether it is equipment or books or space, they are all very important, the learning environment, the relationship between students and teachers, the relationship among students, they all aid in learning so we need to look at all that and that was why you’d remember that aside the best teacher award, we introduced the best school award because we felt that the environment has something to do with academic output”, she stated.

The NPP administration under President John Kufuor introduced the 4-year Senior High School programme in 2007. However, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) reverted to the 3-year system after it regained power in 2009.

Though the Akufo-Addo-led administration hinted of an possible extension of the length of education to four years again, the 3-year system is currently being maintaine
 Source: ghanaweb.com

Effutuman will harvest the fruits of our CSR soon – AG Vice Chancellor, UEW

Rev. Fr. Anthony Afful-Broni, UEW Ag Vice Chancellor

The Acting Vice Chancellor of the Universityof education, Winneba, Rev. Fr. Anthony Afful-Broni has indicated that the Effutu Community, a group with which the University shares a special bond, will enjoy a special treatment through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

According to the Professor, in his almost 20 years of working in the University, the relationship has been “very cordial” since times past. In fact, UEW and the Effutu community have, as partners, transformed the bond to a “new high level of which we are all proud and living witnesses.”

The academician told the indigenes that the branded Corporate Social Responsibility intervention and cooperation is covering several areas including Primary and Secondary Education, Library resourcing, Entrepreneurship training, Security and Employment.

Highlighting some of the support given to Effutuman, Rev. Fr Afful Broni said since the since the beginning of 2018, the University of Education had ensured equity in its human resource recruitment policy, having employed an unprecedented high number of very highly qualified indigene applicants for various positions in the University.

Apart from supporting the 2018 Aboakyer Festival, he added, “we are in the process of donating street lights to some communities within Winneba, to enhance security.”

“It is even becoming more imperative that we do engage in this UEW-Effutu partnership more seriously and with much commitment because, for the next academic year, private Landlords and Landladies in this township will provide as much as 80% of our accommodation needs for our staff and students.” He averred.

On the premises of education, he tasked parents to take advantage of the free Senior High School (SHS) to educate their wards, giving his word that the University will render its support to making sure education becomes a priority in the community.

He said, “UEW shares collective responsibility with Efutuman to make sure that her sons and daughters take advantage of the current government’s Free SHS policy to ensure that as many children as possible get access to high school education.”

The Vice Chancellor hinted that the University had taken practical steps to absorb the huge number of applicants that will seek admission to our various programmes during the 2020 academic year when the first batch of the free SHS will be due to enter University.

In his words, “designs have been completed and contracts are about to be awarded for the construction of 8 pavilions, each with 550 seat capacity, all in anticipation of the arrival of the first batch of the free SHS students. We are increasing and expanding Wi-Fi access to ease research, teaching and learning; we are bringing on board more resources and more lecturers are being employed to meet the numbers.”

The Professor noted that UEW, as an educational institution knows the value and importance of education to the development of any community, hence the step to support the people of Effutu.
 Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Education Directors laud double track system

Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Education Minister

The conference of Directors of Education (CODE) has praised the double-track system government’s plans to implement to increase enrolment in some selected Senior High Schools across the country beginning September 2018.

The CODE made a firm pledge to help government succeed in implementing the programme at all cost but that all educational policies and reforms should be backed by an Act of Parliament especially that of the Free Senior High School.

This was contained in a 12-page communique issued at the end of the CODE’s 25th Annual Conference held in Tamale.

The communique jointly signed by the CODE’s National President, Mrs. Magaret Frempong-Kore and the National Secretary, Dr. Daniel Annan-Edufful urged the government to embark on a massive infrastructural development at the pre-tertiary level.

The communique also implored the government to adequately supply the required resources particularly textbooks and teachers manuals to enhance teaching and learning.

It further advised the government to restructure the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) to cover more schools to avoid oversubscription and the collapse of others.

The directors of education complained about logistical constraints for which reason government should provide strong vehicles, suitable residential and office accommodation to all Directorates of Education.
The government should timely and regularly release adequate funds to all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directorates of Education.

The communique demanded the immediate placement of all Director IIs on level 23 of the Single Spine Salary Structure.

The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Sa-eed said the government was committed to boosting the nation’s human resources through education.

According to him, the implementation of the Free Senior High School Programme has decreased the ratio of school dropouts at the Junior School level.

He said needy but brilliant students now have the opportunity to gain higher academic laurels.

Salifu-Sa-eed reaffirmed government’s determination to address all challenges in the education sector.

“Education will help us to translate and put into good use our abundant natural resources that can propel our economy to become an advanced one.”

“So it is a solid foundation that government wants to lay for the generality of the Ghanaian populace which will inform the fundamentals of our development drive.”
Source: citinewsroom.com

Free SHS, Double Track system are the boldest educational initiatives – UEW VC

Acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, Rev. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni has commended government for taking what he calls the boldest decision in the country’s educational sector with the introduction of the free SHS policy and its accompanying Double Track system.

According to the Acting Vice Chancellor, the policy has great potential in providing a strong cornerstone for development and called on all to support the policy to minimize implementation hitches.

Speaking at an interaction with traditional leaders and the people of Effutu in the Central Region, the UEW VC, indicated, the University has commissioned a research to track the SHS preparation and admission intake for Effutuman kids over the next five years.

“I have charged the Dean of the faculty of Education studies to initiate and lead a research that will track SHS preparation and admission intake for Effutuman kids over the next five years. Through the study, we hope to help both the Effutuman and the government to monitor and evaluate the Free SHS policy and its connected double-track system within the municipality.”

“We must emphasize that free SHS is the boldest and best educational policy initiatives that our nation has seen. This is because this policy has great potential in providing a strong cornerstone for development, we must all lend our unflinching support and commitment to the government to ensure its huge success,” he averred.

Rev. Prof. Afful-Broni says the University of Education is committed to the cause of the Free SHS policy and announced plans by the University to absorb the first batch of the free SHS system. He posits the university prepared the grounds to expand their intake in 2020 to help absorb many of the free SHS graduates.

“To show our strong commitment to the government’s vision of providing expanded access to high tertiary education through the Free SHS policy, this University has taken practical steps to absorb the huge number of applicants that will seek admission to our various programmes during the 2020 academic year when the first batch of the free SHS will be due to enter University.”

“Designs have been completed and contracts are about to be awarded for the construction of 8 pavilions, each with 550 seat capacity, all in anticipation of the arrival of the first batch of the free SHS students. We are increasing and expanding Wi-Fi access to ease research, teaching and learning, we are bringing on board more resources and more lecturers are being employed to meet the numbers,” he stated.

The Acting VC commended government for introducing the double track system. According to him, the double track system is an internationally acclaimed system that breeds quality and ensures equity.

Banning plastics 'naive, unreasonable, radical' – Professor

Government has been charged to adopt Rwanda's waste management system

Molecular and Cellular Toxicologist, Professor Augustine Arukwe, has advocated the effective management of plastics rather than banning them outrightly.

Some environmentalists believe Ghana must go the Rwandan way by banning all plastics if the government is serious about making Accra the cleanest in Africa, but the Norway-based professor disagrees.

Speaking to Class News' Joshua Kodjo Mensah on the sidelines of a seminar on plastics organised by Inno-Sci, Professor Arukwe said effectively managing plastics is a sure way of reducing the plastic waste menace, but a total ban would be “radical and unreasonable.”

He said: “Plastic waste is a problem but it’s a manageable problem. Plastic products will never go away but we can manage it for sustainable development. Although the environmental contaminants that leach out of plastics are of significant health consequences to both wildlife and humans, it’s a problem that has come to stay, but we can manage it for sustainable development.

“Banning plastic is not the way to go, it is sad that some African leaders have half-baked ideas on solving global problems. It is very radical to ban plastic because what it does is to create unnecessary hardship and also reduce national scope for growth.

“A better solution could have been to manage plastics. A ban is important, banning the use of single-use plastics like straws and plastic plates might be a better solution…but banning plastics totally is unreasonable, it’s too radical and its naïve to think you can get rid of plastic like that.

“I’ll advocate better management and processes that will reduce the use of plastics, and, of course, I’ll support the ban of single-use plastics.”

Proffering solutions to how plastics can be managed, Professor Arukwe who is also the Deputy Head of Department, Research and Innovation at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology said: “We should take personal responsibility of the plastics we use and recycle plastics but this will need a political will. Let’s create collection centres for plastics and educate societies not to dispose of plastic products discriminatorily in the environment.
Source: classfmonline.com