Traditional Institutions Still Relevant In National Development-Tobgi Kporku

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September 20, 2013

Togbi Kporku

Togbi Kporku III, Dufia of Alakple has noted that in spite of the erosion of the authorities of traditional institutions as a result of socio-political changes over the years, traditional institutions still remain relevant for accelerated development of the country.

“Traditional institutions still retain very important duties as social leaders of the various political communities for the mobilization of resources and people for development’’.

According to Togbi Kporku, traditional institutions provide the first point of contact between the people and their government, hence the need for political institutions to complement rather than to compete with traditional institution in moving the country forward.

He said “As traditional rulers we do not have any panacea or quick-fix solutions to the great dilemma that faces our nation… But collectively we can all find answers to our problems” and called for respect for traditional authority and cultural values to give these values a strong leverage above foreign ones.

Togbi Kporku was speaking at a lecture to mark the 10th anniversary of the enthronement of Torgbe Afede XIV, agbogbomefia of Asogli state which also coincides with this year’s Asogli Yam Festival celebrations.

Redefinition of Traditional Leadership

Speaking on the theme: “Agbogbomefia and the redefinition of traditional leadership”, Togbi Kporku described Togbe Afede as the “shooting star” of the Volta Region, who have brought “new life, new vigour and new vision” into the traditional leadership of the region and Ghana as a whole.

Togbe Afede

He noted that during the 10 years of Togbe Afede’s enthronement, he has, championed people-centred development in “opening new vistas in commerce, business and industry”.

Recounting Togbe Afede’s contributions to national development within the 10 years of his installation Togbi Kporku stated that “In the last 10 years, Togbe Afede has demonstrated that chieftaincy is not a romantic outpouring of wealth and status and that leadership is substance, not ornaments”.

He also described Togbe Afede as a person who epitomises positive virtues of voluntarism, honesty, humility, industry, hard work, integrity and accountability, which are the “the hallmarks of the voltarian”.

Togbe Kporku recalled the first ever Volta Congress organized by Togbe Afede, a year after his installation and collated development plans of the region into a single document and led some chiefs and businesspersons to the People’s Republic of China to explore opportunities.

He commended Togbe Afede for his effort in the establishment of the Sunon-Asogli Power Plant which is one of the outcomes of the China trip.

Togbe Kporku said the achievements of Togbe Afede indicated that with collaboration, chiefs could find answers to problems facing the region and Ghana.

“There has never been shortage of good intentions and plans when we talk of the development of our dear region. What we lack is …tenacity and singleness of purpose… We fail to walk the talk. To forge ahead as a people, we must convert our strengths in diversity into unifying forces with the same aspirations, a common and purposeful voice and singleness of purpose.” He said.

Togbe Afede XIV called for attitudinal change, unity and purposefulness among Voltarians and urged chiefs to do more to bring good health, quality education and prosperity to the people. He called.

Togbe Afede also commended the indigenes for their support in the past 10 years and pledged to continue to work for the accelerated development of Asogli State, the region and Ghana and called for support.

Born as James Akpo, on 23rd April 1957 in Ho, he was installed Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of Asogli in 2003 and he is currently the President of the Volta Region House of Chiefs.

He was a co-founder of Databank Financial services before founding Strategic African Security (SAS) Finance Group in 1994. Togbe Afede also co-founded Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Ltd and He now chairs the board of Ghana’s oldest Sporting Club, Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club Ltd, which he is the highest share holder.

‘Citizen Vigilante’ Martin Amidu and Three Others Honoured

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Kwadwo Duodu

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September 19, 2013

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(L-R) Sam Okudzeto, Adjei Ampofo & Ahumah Ocansey

Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Martin Alamisi Amidu have been honoured with three other lawyers by the Ghana Bar Association for their meritorious contributions towards the development of Ghana and bringing excellence in the legal profession.

Mr. Amidu, whose name was mentioned alongside Sam Okudzeto, Ahumah Ocansey, and Nana Adjei Ampofo, received a standing ovation amidst cheers and applause although he was absent at the time.

The honour was than at the ongoing conference of the GBA in Ho by the President of the Association, Nene Amegatcher who emphasized that the four were being acknowledged for their ‘selfless devotion to the development of human and public interest test case litigation in the country”.

A citation in honour of Mr. Amidu whose actions earned him the name citizen vigilante, read; “a former Attorney General of Ghana defied the perception that the Attorney General, once appointed always do the bidding of government of the day. In putting mother Ghana first, he fought against certain corrupt practices going on in the country and in the process lost his job. He did not end it there, but constitution himself into a citizen vigilante and single handedly file two suits in the Supreme Court to recover monies illegally taken from the republic.”

Additionally, “Date-Bah JSC presiding over the Waterville case opined that the plaintiff is to be commended for his public spiritedness which has fueled his meticulous and industrious presentation of this case.”
Mr. Sam Okudzeto in April 2009 also sued government for wrongful dissolution of the Board of the Bank of Ghana. Late President Mills in 2009 dissolved the boards of all state Institutions, agencies and other Parastatals. Mr. Okudzeto Who was then a board member filed the writ at the Fast Track, seeking a declaration by the court that the action of the President was illegal, null and void. The court in January 2013 upheld his claims and described unlawful the dissolution of the Board of the Bank of Ghana, since the bank is independent from the President and the Ministry of Finance.

In the case of Ahumah Ocansey, he filed suit in 2009, praying the Supreme Court to declare as null and void sections of PNDC Law 284 which barred remand and convicted prisoners from voting. The Court, presided over by the Chief Justice, Mrs. Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, in a unanimous decision on March 23, 2010 upheld the applications and directed the Electoral Commission to come out with a framework to facilitate the inclusion of prisoners in the voters register. This led to the first time registration of prisoners and their subsequent voting in the 2012 election.

Nana Adjei Ampofo, who is now the Board Chairman of the Lands Commission instituted two actions in court, first for a declaration that the continuous use and employing of Ghanaians to carry human excreta in pans on their heads is an affront to the dignity of such persons and should be abolished. In his second action, he asked the court to declare as unconstitutional, the criminal sanctions prescribed for refusal to heed to the call of a Chief.

The Supreme Court in both cases upheld his submissions and gave an ultimatum to Metropolitan authorities to replace such pan latrines and abolish the use in all homes and further struck down the legislation in the Chieftaincy Act as unconstitutional.

Nene Amegatcher described their actions as worthy of emulation by the all, especially the younger generation in ensuring that Ghana moves forward in the right direction. Colleagues also eulogized the four in separate interviews.

MTN Supports Asogli Yam Festival

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Kwadwo Duodu

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September 19, 2013

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Ghana’s leading telecommunication network, MTN Ghana has commended the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV for showing sterling leadership in bringing development to his people and the nation as a whole.

A Manager in charge of Mobile Money Implementation at MTN, Peter Kofi Bimpeh who described Togbe’s efforts as exemplary, stressed that “MTN salutes Togbe for the many achievements in promoting development, creating opportunities for the youth and for creating a positive image of the chieftaincy institution in Ghana.”

Mr. Bimpeh was speaking at brief ceremony in Ho to present items and money in support to this year’s Asogli Yam Festival. MTN presented Asogli Festival Committee with GH¢5,000, a hamper of assorted drinks, GH¢1,000 worth of airtime and assorted MTN souvenirs to support the festival celebrations.

This year’s celebration marks the 10th anniversary of the enthronement of Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of Asogli State. Presenting the items, he congratulated the Agbogbomefia on his 10th anniversary and added that “We are here to affirm our relationship with the chiefs and people of Asogli as we have done in the last six years.”

He said the presentation is a demonstration of MTN commitment to the promotion of the rich Ghanaian culture. MTN as part of its support towards the festival will also provide sponsorships for major activities, such as the grand durbar, health walk and screening exercise, a football gala and an entertainment show dubbed ‘MTN chill Zone’.

Mr. Bimpeh also announced that as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility programme, the MTN foundation is scouting for persons whose services have impacted their communities to be honoured as ‘MTN Heroes of Change’.

Togbe Kotoku XI, paramount chief of Kpenoe and chairman of the festival planning committee, receiving the items thanked MTN for their continuous support to the Asogli state over years and expressed the hope that their relationship will continue.

The month long celebration will be climaxed on Saturday September 21 with a grand durbar of chiefs and people of the Asogli followed by a state dinner. This year’s festival is under the theme; “Traditional Leadership and Development Re-defined.”

‘Winner Takes All’ is Divisive- GBA Prez

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Kwadwo Duodu

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September 19, 2013

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Nene Amegatcher

The President of the Ghana Bar Association Nene Abayaateye Amegatcher has bemoaned section fourteen (14) of the Presidential transition Act, 2012 (Act 845) which provides for the automatic removal of all top echelon of civil and public service including public sector boards and heads of security agencies.

According to him the situation is regrettable since it “promotes division and partisanship rather than unity.” More so “The current situation is wrong and unhealthy for national development.”

Nene Amegatcher made the observation in Ho when he addressed the annual general conference of the Association. The five day conference is under the theme; “The role of the legal Profession in Developing a Public Private Partnership Regulatory Framework for National Development.”

He recommended that winner-takes-all syndrome which many agree is retrogressing the country’s forward march needs urgent attention to salvage the situation. He noted that in remedying the situation the country needs to have a national policy to bind governments irrespective of who is in power to continue working with the existing officers.

Secondly, “It is time for parliament to put a stop to passing laws vesting unfettered discretion in one person (President) to interfere with smooth operation of public instructions for any reason appearing to him sufficient.”

In furtherance to this, “boards should be allowed to function for specified term and members only removed upon clear and stated grounds specified by law. This will make members independently minded and not pander to the whims and caprices of the powers that be, for fear of being removed.”

Nene Amegatcher also expressed dissatisfaction of the attitude of board members whom the current dispensation has turned them into tin gods who usurp the executive powers of the Managing Director or Chief Executive by signing administrative letters, awarding contracts, making appointments and in recent times demanding a fully furnished office and residential accommodation.
These are a further drain on the taxpayers and the earlier we nip this in the bud, the better for corporate governance and development of this country, he stressed.

(L-R)Attorney-General, Russian Ambassador & Russian CJ

Electoral Reforms

The GBA President also called for electoral reforms since the election petition helped to reveal certain unhealthy underlying challenges to the country’s development at the same time masking others.

He said “After two decades of democratic dispensation, weaknesses have emerged that require urgent attention. We must continue to work at our electoral process to avoid over-reliance on pink sheets and improve the quality of polling agents as well as means of transmission of results.

We must do so by eventually going fully electronic so that we do not only use electronic system for voter identification and verification but go the full hog where votes cast will automatically be registered and calculated even on a public screen.”

Unethical Legal attitudes, attack on judges

Nene Amegatcher described as unethical the granting of daily interviews by the counsels of the parties of the election petition which he said was contrary to the provisions of Rule 8 of the Code of Ethics of the GBA. An attempt to talk to lawyers fell on deaf ears as they claimed that “the stakes were high and that the GBA was living in obsolete time.”

Secondly, are the scurrilous attacks on the bench in the court of public opinion when the basis for their claims could have been aired in open court or the courteous procedures provided for filing a petition against erring judges. This has also made media personnel and members of the public have also taken a cue from these errant lawyers made unsubstantiated allegations against the Supreme Court Judges and high profile personalities, like the Asantehene.

He emphasized that “the GBA is saddened by the turn of events, especially attacks coming from very senior lawyers who ought to know better and set the right examples for the younger generation to follow.”

GBA to investigation post- petition judgment comments

Nene Amegatcher therefore disclosed “some of these statements are so serious that if allowed to rest without proper investigations……the floodgates will be opened for lawyers and litigants who have either won or lost a case in court to lash at Judges in the Court of public opinion.”

As a result the General Council of the Bar has directed the Executive Committee to pursue the allegations with the Judicial Council and the General Legal Council.

It will be recalled that after the Supreme Court Judgment on the Election Petition, the lead counsel of the third respondent, Tsatsu Tsikata claimed that one of the nine Justices who heard the petition was politically biased, while Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko a member of the legal counsel for the petitioners described the judgment as farcical and corrupt.

The Conference was opened by the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, with her Russian Counterpart, Vyacheslav M. Lebedev. Other dignitaries present included Attorney General, Marrieta Brew Appiah-Oppong, and the Volta Regional Minister, Nii Laryeah Affotey Agbo among others.

Credit: Fred Duodu, Ho

‘Adjust to legal challenges’ CJ tells Lawyers

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Kwadwo Duodu

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September 18, 2013

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The Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood has urged legal practitioners to adjust to the new legal challenges posed by the Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach to addressing Ghana’s infrastructure deficits.

She was addressing the annual general conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in Ho under the theme, “The role of the Legal Profession in developing Public Private Partnership regulatory framework for national development.”

“In effect, legal education and legal profession must appreciate, even more the relevance of and interplay between economics, finance, project financing and execution and societal needs.”

The PPP as defined by the national policy document is “a contractual arrangement between a public entity and private sector party, with clear agreement on shared objectives for the provision of public infrastructure and services traditionally provided by the public sector.”

“As Lawyers, it is imperative, that we acquaint ourselves with this Policy document,” she advised.

Chief Justice Wood said “unquestionably there will be a strong need for lawyers who understand the principles of intellectual property, contract, regulatory and tax laws that apply in the process chain.”

She urged Lawyers to acquaint themselves with the draft provisions and make relevant input before it finally becomes law.

Chief Justice Wood said there were several PPP related laws in Ghana, mostly un-coordinated, creating uncertainties and inconsistent approaches to participation by the private sector likely to “affect the appetite of private sector partners to participate in PPP projects in Ghana.”

Chief Justice Wood therefore recommended that the draft PPP law must provide for “critical issues” as the definition, objectives, and guiding principles to be followed in developing its scope and application.

Mr Nene Abayaateye, President of the GBA, said Private Public Partnerships and other forms of co-operation between the private sector and national governments have been used around the world to develop.

He said as those who help design the regulatory framework for such transactions, those who prosecute, defend and adjudicate those laws, the legal profession constitutes the lynchpin at getting the public sector regulatory framework right and assuring successful PPPs.

Mr Abayaateye said weak regulatory framework, and high levels of corruption have combined to procure many judgment debts against the state in the fourth republic.

“The root of this national canker is political and bureaucratic behavior.”

He said systems that promote transparency and accountability must be designed coupled with a commitment to deal with the corruption by those in authority.

Agortime Kente festival (Agbamevorza) climaxed

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Kwadwo Duodu

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September 18, 2013

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Dr. Wampah, BoG Governor

The chiefs and people of Agortime traditional area in the Agortime-Ziope district of the Volta region have celebrated their annual Kente Festival (Agbamevorza) in a grand style.

The weeklong festival was climaxed with a grand durbar last weekend under the theme, ‘conserving our cultural heritage’.

The Guest of honour, Dr Henry Kofi Wampah, Governor of the Bank of Ghana in an address said the Ghanaian economy has over-relied on unprocessed agricultural products and minerals over the years, hence the paradigm shift towards the non-traditional export sector.

He therefore called on all communities who had similar products like Kente to explore unfolding opportunities by repackaging the kente industry and venture into the international market.

He said the government was committed to removing all obstacles hindering the export sector and that it was important for manufacturers of Kente to take advantage of new opportunities to enhance the industry.

Dr Wampah also asked Ghanaians to patronise more made-in-Ghana products, since their preference for imported goods did not only enhance the economies of foreign countries but also caused a loss in foreign exchange earnings for Ghana.

Mr Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, in his address announced that handicraft villages would be established in the Upper East, Central, Volta and the Eastern regions very soon and that land earmarked for one of such projects at Agotime-Kpetoe should be protected.

He also said the ministry would help to inject necessary innovations in the kente industry to improve on rate of production, adding that efforts would be made to patent Kente as a national asset.

The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, said Kente was a matchless indigenous fabric and a very unique trademark that separated Ghanaians from the multitudes of citizens across Africa and the world at large.

He said there was the need to assess the strengths of the industry to generate more employment opportunities for the youth and that the people of the Volta Region must boost and establish their type of Kente as a brand for the region and the nation at large.

The M.P for the area, Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, urged the traditional authorities to release enough land for the establishment of the kente village project and added that they should be prepared to add value to improve their products.

The (Konor) paramount chief of the area Nene Neur Keteku III, in his welcome address said, expressed regret that most contemporary weaving communities no longer paid particular attention to the aesthetic and cultural values of the Kente cloth and urged them to uphold the values.

The event was chaired by the Volta Region representative on the Council of State and Paramount Chief of the Ziope Traditional Area, Togbe Binah Lawluvi VI.

Dignitaries who graced the occasion included Togbega Gabusu, paramount chief of Gbi traditional area and former president of the Volta regional House of Chiefs, Mr. Isaac Apronti commissioner of CEPS, and some Municipal and district chief executives as well as some MPs from the region.

“It’s Not Going to Be Business As Usual”-Baba Jamal Warns Public Servants

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Kwadwo Duodu

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September 15, 2013

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Baba Jamal addressing the audience

The Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, and M.P for Akwatia, Hon. Baba Jamal has issued a stern warning to public servants at the various assemblies in the country to take their work seriously, saying “It’s not going to be business as usual”.

“We are now a local government service and we are supposed to be serving the community, so we need to change our attitude towards government business”, Baba Jamal stated.

The Deputy Minister gave the caution in Ho at an orientation programme on street-naming and property numbering for officials of the 25 municipal and district assemblies in the Volta region, in which some Coordinating directors were absent.

“Some of the Coordinating Directors have become tin gods in the districts, sitting in the office and trying to frustrate processes” he said and stated that the ministry is taking note of the conduct of such directors and will not tolerate such conducts.

Baba Jamal stated that “There are a lot of people looking for jobs, so if you have the job and you are not ready to do it, give way to those who are ready to come in and do the job”.

On the street-naming project, the deputy minister and MP said it is embarrassing for a middle-income country like Ghana not to have a proper street addressing system.

‘Locating places in this country, is very embarrassing, even our neighbor, Nigeria with all the confusion has a proper addressing system’ he said.

Mr. Jamal said the project was very crucial to the president hence his directive for it to be completed within 18 months. Because of this reason, he said the project was linked to the key performance indicator for Regional Ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, who must ensure that it was executed within the stipulated time-frame.

The deputy minister further noted that the Ministry is liaising with the National Service Secretariat to raise personnel “trained in geometrics and physical planning” to ensure that the project goes on well.

Baba Jamal as part of the orientation, presented equipment to the regional office of the Town and Country Planning to set up a Global Information System (GIS) to co-ordinate the project in the region and said similar equipment will be made available to all district offices of the Town and country planning department for the prosecution of the project. The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, said he will ensure the completion of the projects on schedule and commended the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Developmentfor the initiative.

Measles and Rubella vaccination Kick-Start in the Volta

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Kwadwo Duodu

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September 15, 2013

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The nationwide vaccination campaign against measles and rubella has kick-start in the Volta region with a total of 950,073 children aged between nine months and 14 years expected to be vaccinated during the exercise scheduled between September 11 and September 20, 2013.

Immunization teams comprising 719 vaccinators, 2156 volunteers and 176 supervisors are stationed at markets, schools, lorry parks, prison facilities, health centres and any populated area whiles others would be moving in scattered communities and settlement across the region for the 10-day exercise.

Speaking at the Launch of the campaign in Ho, The Volta Regional Deputy Director of Health, Dr Winfred Ofosu, said the exercise had become necessary because statistics showed that the four-yearly vaccination interval saw the resurgence of the disease hence the need to interrupt with two-yearly vaccination cycles.

“We realized that in 2012 the number of cases have shot up unexpectedly, the number of people susceptible to measles is increasing at a fast rate than the four year interval that we were using in the past, that’s what has made necessary to conduct the campaign this year rather than 2014’.

Dr Ofosu said unlike anti- measles vaccination which started in Ghana in 1978, vaccination against rubella is a recent public health problem. He said between 2010 and June this year, 1,371 rubella cases were confirmed, 96 of which were recorded between January and June this year.

He stated “Rubella is now here with us and introducing this vaccination is the start of control of rubella in the country”.

Dr Ofosu assured parents that the children would experience some mild side-effects after the vaccination but these are normal and short-lived. He further noted that those who are already vaccinated against measles could go in for another vaccination in order to convert the vaccine into protection.

Mr Francis Ganyaglo, Deputy Volta Regional Minister, who launched the exercise said the 704 measles cases confirmed in the first six months of this year was “frightening” and cautioned parents that their children risked being exposed to serious health complication if they failed to make their children available for the vaccination.

Measles symptoms includes rashes, fever, runny- nose, cough and eye irritation, leading to complications such as ear infection, diarrhoea, pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, encephalitis and death. But Rubella manifests as rash in the face, mild fever and swollen lymph nodes or may not show any symptoms.

Pregnant women with rubella risked miscarriage or giving birth to children with defects such as eye problems, heart defects and mental retardation.

Shocking: First Female M.C.E for Ho rejected

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Kwadwo Duodu

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September 11, 2013

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Mrs. Adinyira with Hon. Ganyaglo

It was meant to be a historic moment for the Ho municipal assembly, when members converged on Tuesday to confirm the nomination of Mrs. Fafa Adinyira, as the first woman Municipal chief Executive. But to the shock and surprise of many dignitaries and some members of the public, the assembly members denied her the nod.

Mrs. Adinyira, who needed the votes of 28 members representing two-thirds majority of the 42-member assembly to gain the job, ironically had 28 members voting against and 14 members voting for her.

Her outright rejection sent her mainly women supporters into furious protestations, as they chanted “We would not agree. We want a woman this time round. We would go on the streets. These men have had their way for too long and must be clipped,”

The women, some said to be representatives of market women, and others dressed in ‘Mahama Ladies’ branded T-Shirts, had horns ostensibly for celebrations, tore up red clothes and strung them round their neck and moved onto the street in the vicinity of the Assembly offices singing.

Some Aggrieved Women

Some of the protesting women described the result as disgusting and unprecedented and accused the assembly members of a grand agenda to reject the woman’s nomination. They vowed to make representations to President John Mahama through the regional minister to re-nominate Mrs Adinyira.

Madam Mansah Dagbey, The market queen of Ho, said market women will protest the nomination any man to head the assembly. “No man will head this assembly; we will protest against the nomination of a man, we want the woman back” she said.

About 15 police personnel, some with batons, were brought into the Assembly premises while the protestation went on.

Mr Francis Ganyaglo, Deputy Regional Minister, expressed disappointment at the turn of events. “This is the first time a president’s nominee is being rejected. By this rejection, we have all lost, by this rejection, we have all lost,” he said as dignitaries including, Mr Benjamin Kpodo, Ho-Central Member of Parliament, Captain George Nfodjo, a former Ho District Chief Executive (DCE)were transfixed in their chairs.

Mr. Ganyaglo however said a report will be forward to the president about the turn of events and he will decide the next line of action.

traditional leaders from Ziavi

Among the dignitaries present were Rev. Ledo, a former Moderator of the E.P church and traditional leaders from Ziavi, the hometown of Mrs. Adinyira. There were also high ranking members of the NDC and some municipal and district chief executives from the region to give moral support to the nominee.

Volta Teacher Trainees protests Scrapping of Allowances

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Kwadwo Duodu

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September 9, 2013

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Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Education Minister

The Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana, Volta Sector (TTAG-Volta) have resolved to hit the streets in the coming week to protest government decision to scrap the allowances of fresh trainees entering the various colleges of education this year. A communiqué issued after an executive council meeting of the association in Ho at the weekend, said the decision when carried out will bring untoward hardship onto trainees, who depend on the allowances to support their training.

The communiqué signed by TTAG-Volta president Shittie Prosper stated that “Teacher trainees go through a lot during training to equip themselves in order to give off their best to this nation and thus needs the penny that is being paid as allowance which is even taxed to purchase handouts, prepare teacher learning materials for practice, pay for facility user fees, registration fees, books among others”,

The communiqué further stated the country’s annual teacher deficit of 60,000 will further worsen should government go ahead with its decision to scrap trainee allowances. “The allowance was introduced to retain and motivate teachers to the only unattractive profession that most people disregard in this country”.

The decision to scrap the allowances of fresh teacher trainees was announced by government a couple of months ago in order to increase enrollments into the 38 colleges of education but the students leaders from the seven education colleges in the Volta region, in the communiqué pointed out that government’s decision will rather discourage persons from entering the colleges since new trainees cannot meet their financial obligations in the colleges without the allowances.

The communiqué again noted “Colleges of Education are neither universities nor polytechnics. Colleges of Education have different but equally important mandate, we are different and our roles are different. We should not in any way be compared to any other tertiary institutions for the sake of our tertiary status, we have different calling as teachers to teach, mould and train the feeble mind.”

The communiqué further called on government to take pragmatic measures to provide adequate facilities and infrastructure in colleges in order to increase enrollment rather than scrapping allowances. “We acknowledge government effort to train more teachers but certainly this is not the best way to go”.