University Senior staff in Ghana declared strike
State university Senior staff in Ghana have withdrawn their services with immediate effect. On Thursday, members who have formed the Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) announced the decision during a press conference. Their decision came after the Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (TEWU) suspended a strike last Monday over similar concerns after an engagement with the government won the way forward. However, SSA-UoG is protesting for the non-payment of their Tier-2 pension arrears, market premium, etc. “I wish on behalf of the National Executive Council to announce the withdrawal of services with immediate effect,” “For the avoidance of doubt members are required to lay down their tools until further notice”, this was according to an executive member of the group Mohammed Zakaria, who was addressing members in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale. The Senior Staff Association has in the past complained of unfavorable policies from the government that are responsible for the deteriorating conditions of its members. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
Good and exciting news for NABCO Trainees…
Apexnewsgh.com can confirm that, the NABCO Career Pathways Transition Portal has been reopened for NABCO beneficiaries who could not complete their Career Pathways Transition Process. The NABCO Trainees Career Pathway Transition Processing portal is a NABCO permanent jobs portal created for all NABCO trainees to fill in their details and qualification, to help in the transitioning of NABCO trainees into permanent Jobs, entrepreneurship, and further learning. The portal was opened in November 2020 and ended in December 2020, The Director in charge of Business Research and Skills Development at the Head office of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) Mubarak Bowan in an exclusive interview has told Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of Apexnewsgh.com, that after the official Career Pathways registration on Saturday, December 5, 2020, a grace period of about 4 to 5 days will be given to beneficiaries who were unable to complete their registration due circumstances beyond their control before a mob up exercise. It appears the extension given by the leadership of NABCO, did not benefit some of the trainees who were facing one issue or the other during the process. However, a notice forwarded by one of the NABCO coordinators is encouraging all NABCO beneficiaries who could not complete their process to do so from now till 11:59 pm Sunday, January 31, 2021 “The Career Pathways Transition Process ended in December but unfortunately, some trainees were still not able to complete the process. However, the good news is that the Career Pathways Transition portal has been reopened. If you couldn’t complete your process, please take this chance and do it. The system is opened from now and will remain open until 11:59 pm on Sunday, January 31, 2021” Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
I blamed parents for not providing nose mask to their wards as they return back to school—GNAT President
GNAT President Philipa Larsen has expressed some disappointment after witnessing that some students in some schools were not wearing nose masks to protect themselves from the deadly coronavirus. Madam Philippa who was speaking on Joy FM monitored by Apexnewsgh.com Tuesday morning has blamed parents for not providing nose masks for their children who are mandated to return to school. “Let me state that the distribution of the logistic has commenced but unfortunately because of the large number of the schools, not all the logistics have gotten to the schools. So, you realized that some schools have gotten some items and some schools have not gotten anything at all, the items are still on the way depending on the districts, the community you find yourselves. But this morning, I was a bit disappointed especially because I met a lot of children and out of about 10 people you meet, only 1 or 2 will be in a nose mask and I believe this is where the parent has to come in to support their wards because all Ghanaians are stakeholders of Education and that is where I felt a bit disappointed that some parents did not provide nose mask to their wards” Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
UER: No single PPE received from Government as at Monday Jan 18 in Upper East Region–NAGRAT Chairman
The Upper East Regional Chairman of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Mr. Samuel Atompoya has expressed some shocking worries ahead of the re-opening of schools. Mr. Atompoya told Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of Apexnewsgh.com in an exclusive interview that they are ready to comply with government directive by returning to school on the 18th January 2021, but stressing that government must work their talk by providing schools with Personal Protective Equipment’s (PPEs) to enable them to perform their duties accordingly. He narrated his experience during some of his rounds in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region, where he saw some students cleaning school compounds without wearing any nose mask and these children according to him, were doing it together as if nothing is happening. An atmosphere he described as very ‘worrying’ especially knowing how the children enjoy mingling together among themselves. According to Mr. Atompoya, as at the time of speaking to Apexnewsgh.com on Monday, January 18, 2021, no single PPE was seen or received by any school in the Upper East Region and he believes that is a big challenge to teachers and children as they are returning to school. He further shared his experience on how some schools ended up not receiving the actual PPEs from Accra as stated by President during his then Nation Address because some were not able to get hand sanitizers let alone the Veronica bucket. He questioned why the government is always depending on one person from Accra to supply PPEs across all schools in the country, especially when every region is having Education Director who should be able to take such responsibility to ease the load on the government and afterward reports back. Meanwhile, he was alarmed with the increasing rate of COVID recorded in the Upper East Region within this short period and stressing that politicians should stop playing politics with the lives of the ordinary Ghanaian people. “You notice that, when the President delivered his address, he was cautioning every Ghanaian and we teachers are no exception. We should observe the COVID protocol and that they were going to supply PPEs to all the schools. Yes, I can say for now that some of the schools have been fumigated and that was the preparedness for us to come back to school. But as a matter of fact, as at Sunday when I did some checks, especially at the Senior High Schools, there is nothing in the region as I speak to you now. So, that is the challenge we as teachers faced. Now, the President has emphasized that everybody must wear a nose mask and must also observe the protocols and so, if these PPEs are not given to the school, how are we going to observe and use these PPEs in order to protect ourselves and protect others from getting the COVID. My brother, I don’t know whether is authentic, what I saw from other platforms in Upper East Region here, in some of the districts is very worrying, if the figures I saw is authentic then, is very worrying for us in Upper East because the figures keep on rising every day. So, if these small children coming back to school, you know as children one will like to drink water and give to his colleague who is equally tasty. That’s one area we are even afraid of. In Basic schools, they have classes but they don’t have enough accommodation to accommodate from KG to JHS 3 that will allow these protocols to be observed. When the 3rd year came to write and complete, the JHS 1 were at home, the JHS 2 were at home and there are other schools that combine the JHS and that of the Primary level. Now, how are we going to ensure that this protocol is observed because they have not been expanded any of the classrooms at the Basic level. So, it will be very difficult if all are coming back to school. So, it is very very worrying but once the directive has been given, we will follow it. Currently, am in Bongo to find out what is happening there, and I have just come to a school just close to the Education Service and I have seen a few of the students doing some cleaning and they are not even wearing nose mask. So, if the PPEs are in and is going to continue this way then, is worrying. Politicians shouldn’t take our lives very cheaply like that, we know that we have been long waiting at home but, what is the essence of coming back home if those things weren’t provided? We don’t have a problem but, the concern is that, why can’t government decentralize these PPEs so that the Regional Directors could purchase them, that will be very easy for them to transport or distribute them to schools. Everything is done in Accra and the last time these PPEs were brought from Accra and those that were brought was not even enough some came without hand sanitizers; others came without the T-rolls. So, should the government depend on doing everything in Accra when we have Regional Directors at this level? He can ask them to purchase and then report to them”. He told Apexnewsgh. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
Here is President Akufo-Addo coronavirus pandemic 22nd address full speech
Fellow Ghanaians, good evening. Before I start, let me use this opportunity to thank you all and Almighty God for enabling me to swear, for the second time, the oath of office as President of the Republic. The ceremony took place after I last spoke to you. I promise I will do my very best to live up to your expectations. I am coming into your homes tonight with some rather unpleasant news. When I delivered Update No. 21, some two weeks ago, I urged all of us to continue adhering to the enhanced hygiene and mask-wearing protocols that have served us well, and which led us to the situation where we were witnessing a gradual decline in the number of active cases. However, since that time, we have seen an upsurge in the number of active cases, from a little over nine hundred (900) to one thousand, nine hundred and twenty-four (1,924). Our COVID-19 treatment centres have gone from having zero patients to now being full because of the upsurge in infections. Particularly worrying is the fact that the Ghana Health Service is recording, on the average, two hundred (200) new cases of COVID infections daily. The number of patients requiring hospitalisation and intensive care is rising. The number of severe cases, which stood at eighteen (18) a week ago, has increased sharply to one hundred and twenty (120). Two weeks ago, there was no critical case, we now have thirty-three (33) in our treatment facilities. Again, according to statistics from the Ghana Health Service, the considerable number of persons who are severely ill are, surprisingly, relatively youthful persons, with no previous underlying health conditions. The number of confirmed deaths has increased, sadly, from three hundred and thirty-eight (338) persons to three hundred and fifty-two (352) within the period. Recent genomic sequencing undertaken by our scientists have established that some arriving passengers tested positive for new variants of COVID-19. These passengers have all been isolated. Furthermore, work is ongoing to determine the presence and extent of spread of the new variants in the general population. Detailed investigations of the cases indicate that, apart from arriving passengers at our airport who tested positive, infected persons have recent histories of attending parties, weddings, end of year office programmes, family get-togethers, and funerals. At these gatherings, most of them abandoned the use of the masks, and were engaged in actions that led to them contracting the virus. Fellow Ghanaians, at this current rate, whereby thirteen (13) out of the sixteen (16) regions have recorded active cases, our healthcare infrastructure will be overwhelmed. If this situation continues, it will severely undermine the efforts Government is making to revitalize the economy, and put our nation back onto the path of progress and prosperity, following the ravages of the pandemic. On 7th January, as I said, I swore to “dedicate myself to the service and well-being of the people of the Republic of Ghana, and to do right to all manner of persons.” It is my duty to protect lives and livelihoods. In furtherance of this, I have instructed the Inspector General of Police to direct officers, men and women of the Police Service to ensure the rigorous enforcement of the law on mask wearing at all public places and in public transport. They are also to ensure the closure of all night clubs, pubs, cinemas and beaches that may be operating in defiance of the law. They will be assisted by the other security agencies, if need be. Persons in market places, work places, and operators of public transport must conduct their activities in accordance with the hygiene and safety protocols. The wearing of masks in these places is mandatory. Regulatory agencies will undertake random checks to ensure conformity with COVID-19 rules. Should any facility or institution fail to comply with these directives, its activities will be immediately prohibited, and appropriate sanctions applied. It is important that I remind all Ghanaians that severe punishments exist on our statute books for persons breaking the law on the mandatory wearing of masks. Should anyone be arrested by the security agencies disregarding this directive, that person will be dealt with strictly in accordance with law. We do not want to go back to the days of partial lockdowns, which had a negative impact on our economy and on our way of life. But should that become necessary, i.e., should the number of active cases continue to increase at the current rate, I will have no option but to re-impose these restrictions because it is better to be safe than to be sorry. So, together, let us all ensure that we respect the protocols. Government is intensifying its strategy of enhanced 3Ts, i.e. tracing, testing and treating, to allow us identify infected persons, isolate them, and treat them. A considerable number of contact tracers are being mobilised to follow up on contacts of all who test positive. All laboratories, public and private, must supply, in real time, data on all persons tested on the common platform established by the Ghana Health Service. There will be sanctions against laboratories who fail to comply. We have also provided additional logistics, including vehicles, to the Ghana Health Service for the supervision and monitoring of asymptomatic cases being managed from home. Additionally, Government is reactivating available treatment and isolation facilities across the country in anticipation of any further increase in infections. The provision of adequate medicines, equipment, and personal protective equipment to enable health workers attend to homebased patients is being effected. Fellow Ghanaians, as our children in kindergarten, primary, junior high school, SHS 2 and SHS 3 resume school from tomorrow, I wish to reiterate that Government has taken the required steps to ensure their safety in school. Heads of institutions, as well as their teachers, have undergone the requisite orientation on “Guidelines for school re-opening during COVID-19”, to enable them assist with compliance of students to the protocols. I have been encouraged by the preparations being made by many schools, in some cases, with the
COVID: The timing for the reopening of schools is a problem–Prof. David Millar
Government and Ghana Education Service (GES) should have waited a little to observe this new strain of COVID before the reopening of schools for our kids on Tuesday. In a press statement released by Ghana Education Service on January 15, 2021, sighted by Apexnewsgh.com it says, “Management of Ghana Education Service (GES) wishes to inform students, teachers parents, and the general public that schools officially reopen on Mondays 18th January 2021 for the academic year”. “Management of GES, therefore, directs that all schools should use Monday to tidy up their classrooms and compound. Academic work will therefore begin on Tuesday 19th January 2021”. “In the light of that, Management wishes to inform all stakeholders that the annual event dubbed ‘MY FIRST DAT AT SCHOOL’ observed to welcome children entering school for the first time, will be held across all District and Regional Education Directorate on Tuesday 19th January 2021”. However, Professor David Millar, the President of the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies holds a different view following the directive of reopening of schools by the Ghana Education Service. According, to Prof. Millar who spoke to Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of Apexnewsgh.com in an exclusive interview on Sunday, January 17, 2021, looking at the current experience and the dimension of the new COVID, government and Ghana Education Service (GES) should have waited a little to observe this new strain of COVID before reopening schools for our kids on Tuesday. “Basically, we now need to learn how to leave with COVID like we are living with other diseases, so I think it natural coming that in one way or the other we have to start the school system. But, the timing for me is the problem. They are saying there is a new strain of COVID and therefore the coronavirus incident is sparkling so that makes the timing a bit worry. Because, if it would have been the good old COVID that knew since the beginning of last year that one will see we live with it but, with his new strain that, they don’t know what it is, they say is worst than the first strain we got, is now very disturbing. So, we should hold on a bit, see how that pounds out then we send the kids to school. Because if, is really as devastating as they say it is, then we are subjecting all the kids to danger. This is a new COVID, we don’t know how it is but, we know is very deadly and colleagues and friend elsewhere have told me how deadly this particular one could be, and this new one, unlike the first COVID, doesn’t discriminate between the young and elderly and is even appearing to be more dangerous to the young than the elderly”. He told Apexnewsgh.com Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
GES directs schools to tidy up their environment ahead of school re-opening
Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
8000 teachers fail licensure exams
Over eight thousand teachers have failed the mandatory Licensure Examination (NTLE) representing 30.75% of the total number who sat for the test. A statement by the National Teaching Council on Monday, January 4 said 27,455 candidates sat for the exams. According to the NTC, 19.013 candidates representing 69.3% passed the exams with the remaining results withheld pending investigation. The council has called on all candidates to check their results from the NTC online portal at exam.ntc.gov.gh by using either their pins given during registration or their examination index numbers using their phone numbers. Candidates were also advised to print their provisional certificates after checking their phone numbers. The NTLE was introduced by the government in 2019 backed by the Education Act of 2008, Act 778, with the first-ever teacher licensure exams taking place in September 2018. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
LIVESTREAMED: President Akufo-Addo’s 21st address on coronavirus pandemic
Watch live as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo delivers his 21st address on the coronavirus pandemic. With schools set to be reopened, President Akufo-Addo’s speech will focus on the measures ought to be put in place before students across the various levels of education return to school. The President will also touch on whether pubs, cinemas, night clubs and beaches will remain closed or be opened for business. In his last address, President Akufo-Addo said that the country’s sea-land borders remain closed and there will be update on it. He is also expected to speak on the vaccine and whether Ghana is in a position to make purchases. President Akufo-Addo will also touch on the safety protocols and remind Ghanaians on the need to let their guards down. The country’s Coronavirus case count as of December 20, 2020, is 53,653, with 52,331 having recovered from the virus. 331 deaths have been recorded so far per data available on the Ghana Health Service website. Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
Cabinet approves January reopening of schools
State media has reported that schools in the country will return to full academic work later this month following approval from Cabinet. According to the Daily Graphic, the decision was taken on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 after the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, held a meeting with Cabinet over the matter. The exact date for resumption is unclear but they have reported that it will be in the middle of the month. “The exact resumption date is unclear yet but the sources say it could be any date from 12th to 19th January and will mark a return from the long, Covid-19 inspired schools closure by government,” Graphic.com.gh reported Closure of schools Schools have been closed since March 15, 2020, as part of the government’s measures to curtail the spread of the COVID-19. The President, in his 16th address, announced the partial resumption of school for JHS 2 and SHS 2 students from October 5 to December 14, 2020, to complete their academic year. “Junior High Schools operating with class sizes of 30, and Senior High Schools with class sizes of 25, SHS 2 and JHS 2 students will be in school for 10 weeks to study, and write their end of term examinations. “SHS 2 students in boarding houses are to return to their various dormitories on 5th October, whilst day students, respecting fully the COVID-19 protocols, will commute from home to their respective schools on the same date,” he said. He, however, indicated that nursery, KG, primary 6, JHS 1, and SHS 1 will, however, return to school in January 2021. “The Ghana Education Service, after further consultations, has decided to postpone the remainder of the academic year for all nursery, kindergarten, primary, JHS 1 and SHS 1 students. The next academic year will resume in January 2021, with appropriate adjustments made to the curriculum to ensure that nothing is lost from the previous year. The relevant dispositions will also be made so that the presence, at the same time, in the school of all streams of students, can occur in safety,” he stated. Tertiary institutions across the country have already released their academic calendar for the 2020/2021 academic year. Universnewsroom Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications