Untrained Teachers' Diploma course takes off

Accra, July 16, GNA - The Ministry of Education is pursuing an "Untrained Teachers in Diploma Basic Education programme, under which all untrained teachers would pursue a four-year school-based in-service programme.

Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Joseph Annan, told Parliament that so far the programme had been able to enrol more than 25,000 students. He was responding to questions on moves to improve the quality of education in general and at the basic level, in particular. He said the Ministry would do its part to motivate teachers to accept postings to rural areas and payment of allowances to rural teachers would be taken into consideration during the 2010 budget year. Dr Annan said a District Report Card system would be introduced during the next academic as part of measures to improve quality education.

"This will ensure that all teachers provide information on their schools in reporting format that will enable the district offices, to put together a record of district efforts at providing education." The Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, who was also in the House to answer a question on what was going to be the status of existing cocoa spraying gangs, said the status remained unchanged. He said the Cocoa Diseases and Pest Control programme, also known as mass spraying of fungicides and insecticides on cocoa to prevent diseases runs two programmes, the black pod and the capsids. Dr Duffuor said as at the end of 2008, the programme had 5,893 spraying gangs, with 2771 directly engaged in black pod spraying and 3,122 in capsid control.

He said the black pod spraying had already started since May while the capsid programme would begin in August. The Finance Minister said at the start of every season, a review was conducted on each gang and disciplinary actions were taken members of the team who misconducted themselves, such as theft of chemicals, misuse of spraying machines and collection of money from farmers for work done. Mr Alex Ahensah, Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, who was also in the House to respond to questions, said the Ministry would support the chiefs and people of Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region who have initiated a move to put up a cultural village. Earlier, various United Nations Conventions and Protocols, including the smuggling of migrants and an International Labour Organisation Convention on equal treatment for men and women were laid before Parliament. 16 July 09

NSOC 029 Social Philanthropist Lights Businessman lights up the streets of his home town

Gyamdede (B/A), July 16, GNA - A 71-year-old man has provided Gyamdede, near Berekum, with streetlights valued at GHC 3,000. Mr. George Yaw Effah, a businessman and a citizen of the town, said at the inauguration that he could not bear seeing that whilst his house shone with bright lights, "the main street in the = community in which I was brought up to become what I am today was plunged in darkness." He thanked the people for their support and promised "this is the beginning of good things to come to this town" and appealed to the chief, elders and the people to unite to undertake more development projects. Mr. Stephen Lord Oppong, Berekum Municipal Chief Executive who inaugurated the lights, said the government was determined to extend electricity to all parts of the country and the assembly is equally determined to carry out more development projects. He called for the support of the people towards the realization of this goal and said the assembly had procured a tractor to help rehabilitate feeder roads in the municipality. Mr Oppong praised Mr Effah and expressed the hope that other citizens would follow the example and support the development of the community. Nana Kwabena Nimako, chief of the town who presided, called on the people to rally behind the assembly to undertake more development projects.