Establish your own schools – Samini to Rastafarians
Reggae musician Samini has called on “well-to-do” members of the Rastafari fraternity to consider establishing their own schools to ensure conformity to Rasta principles such as keeping dreadlocked hair without being discriminated against. In a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday, 24 March 2021, the ‘My Own’ hitmaker shared his opinion on the ongoing debate about school hairdos after Achimota Senior High School refused to admit two Rastafarian students because of their dreadlocks. The school’s PTA, the National Association of Graduate Student (NAGRAT) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have backed the headmistress’s decision not to accept the students. However, others like the Rastafari Council, the former member of parliament for Kumbungu, Mr Ras Mubarak and some Ghanaians, disagree with the position of the school. Contributing to the ongoing debate, Samini, who wears dreadlocks, said in a Facebook post that he disagrees with Achimota school if the debate is centred around style and preference. He wondered why someone cannot wear their hair the way they want to school in 2021. He, however, noted that if the argument is about religion, then he would stand with Achimota School. Speaking in favour of style and preference the ‘My Own’ hitmaker observed: “If it is an issue of style and preference then I would humbly plead that our authorities take a second look at this questionable ‘decree’ that smacks of intimidation, discrimination and even to some extent, racism! How will the locks make other students uncomfortable?” “How will the locks affect his performance? Or wait, will the locks perhaps turn into snakes at midnight and hound other students?” “Can someone please help me understand why I cannot wear my hair the way I want to school in 2021?” “Let’s even leave the public schools and turn our focus on the private schools that allow any kind of hair preference on their premises. Do we have any records of any troubles being created? I don’t think so.” On the other hand, the multiple award-winning musician noted that if it is an issue of religion; “if these lads who want to wear locks in school are insisting on that because it’s a religious requirement they cannot forgo, then by all means, let’s all stand with Achimota because allowing it, could be very very detrimental! “A wise man, Eric Weiner, once said ‘Religion is like a knife. If you use it the wrong way you can cut yourself’ ‘Massaging’ institutionalised procedure to favour ones religion is a dangerous path we should not take! The repercussions could be terrible because once it’s done to favour religion A, it must be done to favour all and who knows what religion B might ask for?” Samini, therefore, called on the Rasta fraternity to come together to enrol the affected students in private schools. He also suggested the establishment of Rasta-owned schools to champion their interest. ”That said, I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to some well to do Rastas out there. Can we come together to fund these lads through private school? Until Rasta builds schools like the Muslims, Catholics, Methodists, SDAs and so on have, can Rasta hold its own to ensure no one pushes Rasta about over rules Rasta must obey in everyone’s interest?” A few days ago, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Mr Angel Carbonu, wondered why Rastafarians do not have their own school by now so as to avoid the situation where their religious rights and freedoms always clash with the rules and regulations of the existing schools that their children attend. “I don’t even know why the Rastafarians don’t have their own schools because they’ve been in this country for a very long time,” Mr Angel Carbonou said at a press conference on Monday, 22 March 2021 at which the group voiced out its opposition to an earlier directive of the Ghana Education Service to the management of Achimota SHS to admit two fresh students with dreadlocks. “We expect that if you want to be in that school, you obey the rules and regulations. The rules and regulations of an institution are not chosen and picked by individuals, they become standard and ought to be obeyed by anyone who wants to access the school,” Mr Carbonu said. Classfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
U/ER: Police holds Route March to warn the public against crime
The Upper East Regional Police led by the new Commander went on a route march through some of the principal streets of in the Bolgatanga Municipality “Dubbed Endurance Route March” as a sign of warning to the public against the vices affecting the development of the country and the Upper East Region in particular. The route march was in collaboration with the Commanding Office 11th Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the Ghana Armed Force bases in Bazua in the Upper East Region. The coordination with the Armed Forces and the Police in the endurance and fitness exercise is to gather strength and confidence based on the mandate of all the security services to protect lives and property in the country, provide maximum security for all the populace so that they can go about their daily duties without intimidation, fear or harassment. In an interview with modern Ghana, the new Regional Commander DCOP Dr. Saibu Pabi Gariba stated that a new operational module will be rolled out to revitalize the existing ones in order to tackle the recent upsurge in armed robbery cases in the region together with the Armed Forces. It will be recalled that in recent times, there has been virtually fear in Bolgatanga and its environs and the whole region for that matter, characterized by highway and within towns and communities robbery. DCOP Dr. Gariba indicated that the Bolgatanga Division supported by the Bolga District Commander will run patrols in the Bolga central and the issues of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) ensure there is safety. He explained how the Upper East Region has been zoned for effective patrols based on the capacity of their logistics. On COVID-19, the Regional Commander appealed to residents to adhere strictly to the presidential directive of all the safety protocols to stay safe, adding that, anyone who violates the directive will be arrested Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Career Pathways: Very urgent for NABCO trainees
Information reaching Apexnewsgh.com has it that, Officials of NABCO have opened the Career Pathway portal for completion. According to the information, those who could not complete it during the period of registration can log in now. This is not the first opportunity NABCO is giving to trainees who could not finish the process. For trainees who have already completed his or her process, here is the information you would see on your log-in section ‘Access Denied! Your Career Pathway Process Information has been completed already’. This simply means you don’t need to worry yourselves about further registration Below is the short message sighted by Apexnewsgh.com The Career Pathway portal has been opened again for completion. Those who could not complete it during the registration period can log in now Very urgent…..!!! Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Religious beliefs can’t be exhibited in schools – NAGRAT to Rastafarians, GES
The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has fiercely resisted a directive from the Ghana Education Service for management of Achimota School to admit two students with dreadlocks. GES Director-General Prof Kwasi Opoku Amankwa told the Daily Graphic last Saturday that the management cannot deny admission on the basis of the person’s religious beliefs. The intervention was hailed by many including parents of the affected students. But at a news conference today March 22, 2021 NAGRAT said the GES cannot be making exemptions to students in conforming to school rules. NAGRAT President Eric Angel Carbonu said the exemptions will lead to a chaotic school environment in the country and has asked the GES to redirect the management of Achimota School to ensure students abide by rules. He said “the population of students in Achimota Senior High School is about 4,000 students with about 130 teachers. To be able to manage 4,000 students coming from different homes with different upbringing, different training and different behaviour needs to have universal rules and regulation that ought to be followed by all students in the school, We cannot begin, this day, to start making exemptions for individual students based on their belief, based on their culture, based on their tradition, and based on many other issues”. “That will lead to a chaotic school environment. And a chaotic school environment becomes an indisciplined school environment that cannot produce the result that we expect. NAGRAT totally disagrees with the position of the management of the GES and we are calling on the GES to redirect the headmistress and the staff of the Achimota Senior High School to ensure that the rules and regulations of Achimota School and indeed any other senior high school is abided by every student.” Mr Carbonu added “one does not understand why people want to turn our schools into deregulated institutions where people’s whims and caprices hold way. The school is not a fashion environment, the school is not an environment to exhibit one’s religious beliefs. The school is an environment for training and conformity is part of training.” Starrfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Achimota school rejects GES directive to admit Rastafarians
Achimota School has rejected a directive by the Ghana Education Service to admit two Rastafarian students. Headmistress of the school after a crunch meeting on Monday with the regional director of education and the GES stated that the school will not compromise on its school rules and will only admit the students if they take off their dreadlocks. The Ghana Education Service (GES) over the weekend directed the headmistress of Achimota School to admit the two teenage students whose admissions were withdrawn due to their dreadlocks. The directive followed an intense and sustained online protest against the decision of the Achimota school authorities. But EIB’s Fritz Ameghashie reports that after the meeting on Monday, the Headmistress of Achimota school stated that either the parents compromise on their religious beliefs and allow their children to take off the deadlocks or students will be refused admission to the school. The decision by the school comes after the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) on Monday fiercely resisted a directive from the Ghana Education Service for management of Achimota School to admit two students with dreadlocks. NAGRAT President Eric Angel Carbonu said the exemptions will lead to a chaotic school environment in the country and has asked the GES to redirect the management of Achimota School to ensure students abide by rules. He said “the population of students in Achimota Senior High School is about 4,000 students with about 130 teachers. To be able to manage 4,000 students coming from different homes with different upbringing, different training and different behaviour need to have universal rules and regulation that ought to be followed by all students in school, We cannot begin, this day, to start making exemptions for individual students based on their belief, based on their culture, based on their tradition, and based on many other issues”. “That will lead to a chaotic school environment. And a chaotic school environment becomes an indisciplined school environment that cannot produce the result that we expect. NAGRAT totally disagrees with the position of the management of the GES and we are calling on the GES to redirect the headmistress and the staff of the Achimota Senior High School to ensure that the rules and regulations of Achimota School and indeed any other senior high school is abided by every student.” Mr Carbonu added “one does not understand why people want to turn our schools into deregulated institutions where people’s whims and caprices hold way. The school is not a fashion environment, the school is not an environment to exhibit one’s religious beliefs. The school is an environment for training and conformity is part of the training.” Starrfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Ghana’s Covid-19 deaths rise to 725, active cases drop to 3,196
Ghana’s Covid-19 deaths have risen to 725 following the confirmation of 12 more fatalities by the Ghana Health Service (GHS). The latest update from the GHS further indicated 182 new cases have been recorded. However, the country’s active cases have declined to 3,196 as of Monday, 22 March 2020. The recoveries and discharges have also shot up to 85,761, from a previous 84,952. Since March 2020, Ghana has confirmed a total of 89,682 Regional breakdown Greater Accra Region – 49,628 Ashanti Region – 15,213 Western Region – 5,638 Eastern Region – 4,093 Central Region – 3,201 Volta Region – 2,318 Northern Region – 1,598 Bono East Region – 1,380 Upper East Region – 1,297 Bono Region – 1,297 Western North Region – 846 Ahafo Region – 694 Upper West Region – 473 Oti Region – 390 North East Region – 210 Savannah Region – 114 Classfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
GES directs Achimota School to admit Rastafarians
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed the headmistress of Achimota School to admit the two teenage students whose admissions were withdrawn due to their dreadlocks. This comes after an intense and sustained online protest against the decision of the Achimota school authorities. A former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak who once had dreadlocks also waded into the conversation and slammed authorities for denying the two students admission into the prestigious school due to their dreadlocks. The former lawmaker who joined the protest online said the high-handed decision by the school authorities was a breach of the law and called for it to be reversed. “What the authorities in Achimota school have done constitutes a breach of articles 21(1)(c), 25(1), 26(1) 28(3) and 28(4) of our constitution. They have humiliated those kids on the basis of the kids’ Rasta culture. Not accepting them into the school because of their dreadlocks is degrading treatment which is frowned upon under article 28(3). “The school may have its rules, but those rules, and all other rules and laws are subservient to the constitution of Ghana. The supreme law of the land is the constitution. I hope the decision would be reversed, in the overall best interest of the school and the affected children,” the former MP who had dreadlock in the past said. Following the public uproar, the Director-General of the GES, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwah has taken remedial action directing the authorities to admit the two students. He told the Daily Graphic that the Head is not within the law to withdraw the admissions of the students on the basis that they are wearing dreadlocks. “So you cannot say that you will not admit someone on the basis of the person’s religious beliefs, and so, we have asked the Head to allow the children to be in the school,” Prof. Opoku-Amankwah said. Kasapafmonline.com Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
NABCO: Important notice you should expect
Information seen making rounds on social media has it that in no much time, there is going to be a call for NABCO Trainees to apply for selection under the Young Africa Works (YAW) program by MasterCard Foundation in partnership with The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) under an agreement with The Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) for trainees. Below is the full information GENERAL NOTICE A CALL FOR APPLICATION BY NBSSI/MASTERCARD FOUNDATION In the coming days, please expect flyers and information calling for NABCO Trainees to apply for selection under the Young Africa Works (YAW) program by MasterCard Foundation in partnership with The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) under an agreement with The Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) for trainees. Target Group: All NABCO Trainees currently on the scheme. NABCO reference numbers and trainees shall be used to verify applicants qualifying status, Eligible Groups: NABCO Trainees aged between 18-35 years, Programme: Innovative, Creative and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Programme, Benefits: Training, Coaching & Mentoring and compete to win seed capital to help start business, The mode/dates of application, assessment, selection, boot camping and further steps will be announced, The process of application and selection shall be handled by MasterCard Foundation/NBSSI, NEXT STEPS FOR NABCO TRAINEES WHO SELECTED ENTREPRENEURSHIP UNDER THE CAREER PATHWAY TRANSITION PROCESS (CPTP) The next steps for those who selected entrepreneurship under the CPTP to begin extensive training in specific areas in addition to other skills development training received. Trainees who selected Private Sector under permanent employment interest and Career Focused Further Learning as their desired exit pathways will have the option to join these trainings. These groups can still apply for the NBSSI/MasterCard Foundation Young Africa Works ICE programme along side. The training and skills development areas will cover the following; Business Etiquette & Networking, Branding, Customer Service and Professionalism and Ethics Training. Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship and Opportunities Training. Entrepreneurship and Business Plan/Proposal Training. Future steps and arrangements will be announced. The processes, dates, timelines and pedagogy for these training will be announced directed to only trainees qualified to participate. NABCO HQ, For Attention of all trainees. Thursday, March 18,2021. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Achimota School is wrong to discriminate against students with dreadlocks – Education Watch
The Africa Education Watch has lashed out at the Achimota School for denying admission to two new students because they had dreadlocks. First-year students across the country resumed school Thursday, March 19, following a schedule by the government. The Father of one of the victims Raswad Nkrabea took to social media, following the incident, to express his displeasure over the matter and has indicated he would visit the GES to seek answers as to why his kids were denied admission. The Executive Director for the Africa Education Watch Kofi Asare stressed that no agency in this country has the right to deprive a child of their right to education. He indicated that “the act of Parliament says they are wrong to have refused them admission because they have discriminated against them.” Mr Asare contends that the right to education is a fundamental right. A similar incident occurred in 2016 where some mission schools including Mfatseman Girls disallowed students with dreadlocks admission. The Rastafari council subsequently threatened court action. In other parts of the continent like Malawi, a high court in 2020, ordered the government to allow Rastafarian students with dreadlocks to attend school. Efforts to secure a reaction from the school have been unsuccessful. Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Anti-Ewe textbook saga: Let’s give NaCCA more powers – Afenyo-Markin
Minority leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin has averred that the lawmaking chamber must give more powers to the National Council for Curriculum Assessment, NaCCA. According to him, the move will help forestall the incidence of controversial publications like the anti-Ewe book that has triggered nationwide outrage. The Effutu MP made submissions in Parliament today while contributing to a statement around the issue. “Regrettably, we didn’t give them the enforcement powers to confiscate such materials. We didn’t. “We didn’t also give them the power that for all books that will be published outside of approved textbooks, there is a pre-requirement for NaCCA to clear it. “So Mr Speaker, after all the talk, if we want to stop some of these things, we would do so in giving NaCCA the power. Because Mr Speaker in all of the criticism, the question is; what was the regulator doing?” he added. He stressed that “the regulator has no power” unlike the Food and Drugs Authority which had the right to confiscate products that they had not approved. Publisher of the controversial textbooks, Badu Nkansah, earlier this week confirmed that even though copies of the book had reached the market, NaCCA had yet to approve them. He also apologized for the mistake and said they had ordered a total recall of the said books. Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093