GHAMAFA calls for local language use in schools

The Ghana Malaysia Friendship Association (GHAMAFA) is advocating the use of local languages as a medium of instruction in school.

According to them, children learn, communicate and understand easily when they are taught in their native language better than in a foreign language.

GHAMAFA made the call at an education seminar held in Accra.

The seminar which was on the theme: ‘Lessons to learn from the Malaysian Education System’ is to stir Ghanaian students interest in the Malaysian education system.

They said Malaysian education system modelled on the British education curriculum has made giant strides due to the use of it local dialect as a medium of instruction.

This they believe if Ghana adopts the Malaysian style, students will be able to compete effectively with their colleagues across the globe.

For his part, the Director of the Malaysian Education Promotion Council, Shushill Azam Shuib stressed the need for the Ghana Education Service to consider the local dialect use as a medium of instruction in the primary and secondary schools.

He noted that the change from English-medium into Malay-medium national schools has enable students chalk great feat.

Mr. Azam Shuib also encouraged Ghanaian students to make Malaysian their final destination when seeking tertiary education.

Article from: http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2015/September-6th

Headmaster buys sanitary pads for school girls.

The Headmaster of Demonstration School for the Deaf, Basty Solomon Kwashie, has revealed that it is now common practice for him to supply girls in the school with sanitary pads monthly to prevent absenteeism.

Mr. Kwashie said the practice is gradually putting the school in financial difficulties because girls in the school are more than boys.

“As we speak I have one box of sanitary pads in my office which can only sustain them for this month and we have to pray that our donor partners support us, if not, I have to use my own pocket money to buy,” he said.

Speaking to the DAILY HERITAGE at Mampong Akuapem in the Eastern Region, Mr. Kwashie lauded government's initiative of providing free sanitary pads to girls in basic schools and noted that anything that will help the girl-child in school is highly acceptable.

The headmaster said, looking at the nature of the pupils and the kind of treatment their parents subject them to, the school is the only place of hope for them.

“So we also try our best to make them feel like part of society.It will be a disadvantage on the part of the girl-child to stay home because she cannot take proper care of herself at the end of the month. So what we do is go round to share pads to the most senior girls. Otherwise they will stay five to six days indoors without attending classes,” he stated.

Mr. Kwashie revealed further that since the school is a specialized one, they suffer financial challenges because it depends solely on government grants and donations from individuals and entities to survive.

“As we speak, 90% of the school grant has not been paid which makes running the school difficult, but in the face of all these difficulties we still enjoy mercies from God.”

He said the school currently has a population of 473 pupils; 212 boys and 261 girls out of whom 12 pupils are deaf-blind and two of them also physically challenged. He said the school also had 56 teaching and 57 non- teaching staff of 18 of whom are deaf-and-dumb.

Known as the first ever established deaf-blind school in West Africa in 1967, the school still faces accommodation problems for teaching staff and classroom blocks to house the pupils. Currently out of the 56 teachers in the school, only 18 of them live on campus with three teachers sharing a three-bedroom block.

He said about 50% of pupils who seek admission are turned down because there are no classrooms and dormitory facilities to accommodate them. The only vocational block to aid the training of pupils in vocational skills is still under construction many years after the inauguration of the project.

Another problem he mentioned was the lack of polytanks to store water for both teachers and pupils, though the school has a modern mechanized borehole which can supply water to the whole school. “What we need is a big reservoir to keep water for many days,” he stated.

He said that it was impossible for all the pupils to end up as graduates, so the school is trying to use vocational education to train pupils on livestock and appealed for support.

Mr. Kwashie commended the teaching staff for demonstrating commitment and selflessness all these years towards the well-being and development of the physically challenged in society.

He appealed to government and other private organizations to assist the school in order to develop the potentials of the future leaders by donating food items, materials and money to help run the school.

Source - Daily Heritage

United States and Ghana partner to improve child literacy.

The United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) will launch the ‘Partnership for Education: Learning activity’, which will benefit over 2 million children in the country.

The programme would be implemented through a broad- based, national project that aligns with and helps to meet Ghana’s basic education priorities. It is aimed at improving early grade primary school literacy and exploring ways to improve numeracy.

“This five-year partnership with FHI360 seeks to improve, expand, and sustain reading performance for primary school learners nationwide, with a special focus on children in kindergarten 1 through grade 3 (KG1-P3)”, said a release from the Public Affairs Section of the U.S Embassy in Accra signed by Zainab Mahama, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

It further stated that, “Learning will bolster Ghana’s education sector human and institutional capacity to improve teaching excellence in early grade reading, support education systems to sustain reading outcomes and engage communities and parents to promote reading.”

The release explained that Learning is part of USAID’s integrated Partnership for Education Project, designed to support the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) primary school child literacy improvement plans and efforts, in partnership with key agencies, including GES, Universities and other affiliated Ghanaian organizations and institutions.

“With this launch, the Partnership for Education: Learning activity joins the recently awarded Partnership for Education: Evaluating Systems activity, focused on monitoring and evaluation systems strengthening, and the Partnership for Education: Testing activity, which will assess and measure students reading and mathematics performance through the Early grade Reading Assessment, the Early Grade Mathematics Assessment, and the National Education Assessment.”

USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential.

Source: GhanaWeb - Regional News of Thursday, 18 June 2015

Literacy classes

 About 55,000 pupils begin literacy classes

About 55,000 out-of-school children from five regions have begun classes under the Ghana Complementary Basic Education (GCBE) programme to facilitate their enrolment into the formal education system.

(From http://www.ghanaweb.com posted on16 October 2014

The GCBE programme is a three-year initiative, which began in 2013 with sponsorship from the Department for International Development (DFID). The beneficiary regions are Northern, Upper West, Upper East, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti.

The GCBE programme, which is being implemented by 10 non-governmental organizations in the regions, seeks to give out-of-school children beyond school starting age (eight to 14) an opportunity to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills in their mother-tongues to enable them to enroll in the formal school system.


Alhaji Hussein Abdulai Ziblim, Deputy Manager in-charge of Operations of School for Life, one of the implementing NGOS, who launched the programme at Kushibo in the Kumbungu District, on Tuesday, said community volunteers had been trained on the GCBE methodology to facilitate the programme to ensure success.

The GCBE methodology involves participatory learning approach, word formation, the use of classroom register amongst others, which enable pupils to imbibe the lessons.

Alhaji Ziblim said the classes would run for nine months (October to June) after which the pupils would be in a position to enroll in the formal school system entering between Primary Three and Primary Six, depending on their abilities.

He said School for Life would mount classes for 12,300 pupils in 492 communities in nine districts, including Kumbungu, Saboba, Mion, Zabzugu, Sagnarigu, Nanumba South and Yendi Municipality of Northern and Upper West Regions.

Alhaji Iddi Manzah Mahama, District Chief Executive for Kumbungu, whose speech was read on his behalf, called on communities to support teachers in their efforts to improve the standard of education, especially in the Northern Region.

Madam Hawa Yussif Pontomprom, Kumbungu District Director of Education, commended School for Life for its complementary roles in supporting the government to increase access to quality education.

Madam Pontomprom urged parents to prioritize the education of their children by proving them with the necessary basic facilities to enable them to concentrate on lessons taught in school.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=330616

EDT – Africa

(Education, Development and Training)

Vision for 2014

Dear donors, supporters and volunteers,

EDT-Africa would like to show our sincere appreciation to all our donors who in various ways contributed to our continuing work in identified areas of need in Ghana.

Our heart-felt thanks to the Granbys, the Shellards (Peter, Steven and families), Purcells, Surtees, Cocque family, Grace M. and family, the Ziwus, Leung family, Lay Yen and family, Nanou and family, Auntie Grace O., Auntie Tawiah, Mr. Hammond and family, the Abiakuse family, Tanko and family, the Smith family, the Abbans ...

A shipment of toys and educational material arrived in Ghana from the United Kingdom on the 26^th of December 2013. We aim to make the items donated more useful and effective in the development and learning of children. We are putting in place new procedures where donated items (e.g. toys) would be grouped to enhance/ improve/ challenge sensory, cognitive, physical, communicative skills etc.

EDT-Africa recognises the impact of the electronic media and ICT on childhood education in the Majority world. EDT-Africa therefore aims to collect and donate more ICT based equipment. This could enable children/ teachers in the various nurseries, schools or communities to be linked/ exposed to a wider community of learning. Patrons and donors could then actually link up by social media to the various projects EDT-Africa is supporting in the various regions of Ghana.

In 2014, EDT-Africa is hoping to make in-roads into other African countries. We aim to help ailing schools turn-around into high performing schools. This could be regardless of its status or standing.

Thank you once again for helping us transform the lives of those who would otherwise have no opportunity to have quality books to read or educational/ recreational toys etc. to play and learn with.

Wishing you all the best in 2014.

God bless you.

On behalf of the EDT-Africa team,

Grace Otu-Plange. 

Donations made in Ghana by EDT-Africa to date:

December 2010 – November 2012

• A donation was made to Kwahinkrom Village in the Central Region. This included a television set and numerous other items.
• A donation of children’s books was made to The Nest School Complex, Takoradi.
• A donation of toys and books etc. was made to Nsanfo Day Care Centre through the facilitators (Claudia K.).
• A donation of toys and books etc. was made to Sankor Baptist Academy.
• A donation of toys and books etc. was made to Gyingyinaase Primary L.A. School.
• A donation was made to the health post at Kwabeng. This included health/ medical materials etc.
• A donation of a CPU, keyboard, computer screen and children’s computer games was made to Madina Jesus Cares Schools Complex in the Greater Accra Region.
• A donation of CPUs, keyboards, computer screens and scanners have been ear-marked to be sent to the Northern Region. This could help the facilitation of an ICT centre for the under-privileged.

Donations made in the United Kingdom to date:

• A donation of toys was made to a Somali Group in London, UK.

The Health Post at Kwabeng, Eastern Region.

It was really heart-warming to see that with the help from other donors and charitable organisations, an adequate health centre was in the the process of being built. (this was a long way from the 'canopy days' !)

The residents of Kwabeng and those from other localities within the district were using the facility.

There is a lot more help needed though to furnish and supply equipment for use by the medical and health practitioners on site.

Nurses seeing to patients.

A cross-section of patients in the waiting room.

Patients waiting to be seen by medical practitioners in the corridors of one of the wings of the health centre.

Donation to Madina Jesus Cares School Complex

Donation of CPU, keyboard, computer screen and children's ICT educational games by Ibrahim Tanko on behalf of EDT-Africa.

More pictures ...

We are always most grateful to all the donors without whom we would be unable to continue this work. Special thanks go to the Purcell's, the Shellard families (Peter and Steven), the Cocque's, Grace, Teddy and family, the Ziwu's, the Granby's, the Surtees family, G. Smith and family, Auntie Grace, Ibrahim Tanko, Auntie Tawiah, the Hammond family, Mr. Francis and family ...

Piggy, piggy

This little piggy

went to the market

This little piggy

stayed at home

This little piggy

had roast beef

This little piggy 

had none

This little piggy

cried wee, wee, wee

All the way home.

 Mummy pig and little piglets

 Hi there!

Some one's been messing up my patch!

Basic School Education in Gushegu

(From myjoyonlinetube posted on 13-Jul-2012  ) www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGhL0cfh5cE

UNICEF earmarks over $5 million for projects in Ghana

From: Ghana|Rafiq Salam          Last Updated: June 15, 2012, 7:46 pm            article from Joy Online - home news


United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) field office, Tamale has earmarked US$5,350,000 for programmes that they are going to undertake this year. 

This was announced by the head of field office in Tamale Mrs. Clara Dube, during a meeting with the Upper West Minister, Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani at his office in Wa.

She said the greater chunk of the amount is already available, adding, the amount will go a long way to close the funding gap between the south and the North as they have just received more funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

She said the programs they would be looking at this year include education, child protection, health and nutrition, communication for development; water and sanitation as their topmost priority.

Touching on the overview of the annual plan for the Upper West Region, Mrs. Clara said in the area of health and nutrition, they are working towards the reduction of maternal and child under nutritio. In addition they will be looking at maternal, neonatal and child health and an estimated budget of two million one hundred and fifty five dollars has been earmarked out of which six hundred thousand is already at hand.

On education, Mrs. Clara said US$1,200,000 is voted for children aged between four to fourteen years who are disadvantaged to have access to education. 

In terms of quality of education they will be working at improving the proficiency of children in Mathematics and English to remove the fears they have in those two subjects. 

She concluded that they would meeting with the stakeholders and the technical team on how to strategize for those targets to be met in the annual work plan and assured the Regional Minister that after a discussion with the technical team they will make sure that the resources gets to the beneficiaries. 

The Upper West Regional Minister Ambassador Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani on his part thanked UNICEF for the support given to the region over the years. Ambassador Suleman said he was happy on the critical areas chosen to work on with particular reference on the health and nutrition. 

It is his believe that once it is tackled, the people of the region will benefit a lot from it because the region is considered as the poorest region in the country and mothers will be the greatest beneficiaries.

He assured the UNICEF that the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) is ready to support and partner them to reduce poverty in the region 

African Print, Batik and other new / slightly used clothing for distribution to Gyangyanaase and Kwahinkrom villages

Clothing being sorted out in Accra.

 Slit / kaba and akatasu - all paired up

 Clothing being sorted for Gyangyanaase and Kwahinkrom (Central Region)

  Meeting with the Abusuapayin and elders at Gyangyanaase

Auntie Tawiah making a donation on behalf of EDT-Africa for the women and children of Gyangyanaase.