Editorial by Ghanaian Times: Kayang community’s commendation of the Ghanaian Times good lesson

The Ghanaian Times is receiving praise and commendation from the chief and people of Kayang, a farming community in the Mion District of the Northern Region.

This follows its June 7, 2023 publication that prompted the Mion District Assembly to quickly mobilise funds to renovate the only school building in the village, which had been in a dilapidated state five years earlier.

Today, the New Tagnamo D/A Primary School at Kayang has been given a new lease of life, and teaching and learning are said to be going smoothly in it. (See story on page 14)

More importantly, the children from the village who either abandoned schooling or continued elsewhere are back in school.

The Ghanaian Times is happy that no mean persons but the Regent of Kayang, Chief Ziblim Saaka; the Chairman of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the school, Makante Inimbiwum; and the Assembly member for the New Tagnamo Electoral Area, Mr Magan Nkatibi Elijah, are leading the bouts of praise and commendation.

That said, the Ghanaian Times wishes to join Chief Saaka in asking the Mion District Assembly for furniture for the New Tagnamo D/A Primary School.

The paper hopes people from the area and philanthropists from elsewhere can also help the school to lessen the financial burden on the assembly.

The Ghanaian Times has learned that the school is up to primary four and the pupils who love to continue schooling have to go to the nearby community.

The paper prays and appeals that whatever the problems are, they will be resolved in good time to provide two more classrooms to have a complete primary school at Kayang and subsequently a junior high school with all the relevant facilities.

Just yesterday, this paper published an editorial that asked media outlets – television and radio stations and newspapers – to avoid publications that birth chaos and rather focus on issues that bring progress into the lives of the people and ensure national development in the end.

The Ghanaian Times publication being referred to now is a good example of publications that bring progress.

What has been achieved by this story may not appear great to other people, especially those who need bigger things, but the Ghanaian Times is serenading about it because that little story has helped in solving a problem beyond the means of a poor community.

We know other media houses are doing more than expected to meet various needs but we wish at this point to ask those working at other media houses to ask themselves how much contribution they are making to the progress of individuals, communities, and the nation at large.

Let them ask themselves if their vilification, invective, vituperations, defamation, rantings, and other such negative acts churned out have improved a life or a community.

There is an urgent need for change in the media work; it should totally be one for the service of the people and the country.

It is unfortunate that some media practitioners, especially those on radio and television, arrogate to themselves the power of settling scores, personal or otherwise, once they have the floor to address the public.

Some do not care about defaming others, no matter their standing in society, sometimes not verifying the facts.

Sometimes some of the things said are true but the words chosen to communicate the issues are not the best in the circumstances.

Journalism must improve life, not to ruin it.