The leader of the Movement for Change, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen says there must be a comprehensive review of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
According to him, the Free SHS is a good policy and has enhanced access to education for many people.
Alan Kyerematen
Speaking on JoyNews on June 25, Mr Kyerematen stated that he has a criteria by which the Free SHS would be reviewed.
“After 7 years, almost 8 years, a national programme of this nature must undergo a comprehensive review. One of the first things I will do is to undertake a comprehensive review. Not just reviewing it for the sake of reviewing it. I have indicated the criteria for the review.”
“Financial sustainability. Is it financially sustainable? Number two, what are the infrastructural requirements that can sustain the free SHS.”
According to Mr Kyerematen, the Free SHS is a good idea but if the financial implications are not analysed, it will fail.
“If you don’t analyse the financial implications, the infrastructure requirements, the curriculum requirements, even analysing what to do with the graduates of Free SHS. We cannot have a situation where, if you produce people, you cannot guarantee them a job.”
“Let us as a country undertake this comprehensive review. The policy itself is a good one to enhance enrollment. But the implementation and the operationalisation of it has to be reviewed,” he said.
According to him, after the Free SHS policy has been reviewed, a decision can be made on how to structure it carefully.
He stated that, if the Free SHS policy is going to be maintained, there should be a framework governing the operationalisation.
“At that point, we have had a very comprehensive look at the policy and then we can as a people decide that, now that we know how to operationalize it, we can then legislate on it so it becomes a permanent future.”
A Special Aide for former President John Mahama has said that his next government will look into granting amnesty to alleged illegal miners awaiting prosecution in jail and some convicted miners.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Joyce Bawa-Mogtari said that it is unfair that foreign nationals and government appointees implicated in the Prof Frimgpong Boateng report on illegal mining have been left scot-free, while the Ghanaians with no voice suffer.
“If there are many of our brothers and sisters languishing in prisons because of illegal mining, certainly this is a matter that we must look at within the context of the Frimpong Boateng Report, within the context of the corruption that has engulfed Akufo-Addo and his government, within the context of the allegations which Mr Mahama has pledged to investigate and prosecute where possible,” she said.
Joyce Bawa-Mogtari
Joyce Bawa-Mogtari said if people are being bandied together and thrown into prison without necessarily going before the law, and in some cases wait years for a trial, there needs to be an investigation into it for some interventions to be employed.
On addressing illegal mining in the next NDC government, she said it will serve the country’s interest to have stakeholders in communities join the the conversation.
“Note that all these joint actions have largely been maybe joint military action, joint police, joint citizens that, but it has never actually worked in tandem with stakeholders. Various opinion leaders are very worried about this canker,” she stated.
Furthermore, she noted that if the party wins the upcoming election, it will invest $500 million to combat the illegal mining menace, known locally as ‘galamsey’.
Joyce Bawa-Mogtari told Evans Mensah, host of the show, that this issue is of great concern, and additional state resources will be invested to address it.
The former Deputy Transport Minister said, “John Mahama actually said in his speech at the University of Mines and Energy, for example, that at least $500 million will be deployed first into research to get data and of course using modern technology.”
“Everybody’s interested in this conversation…there is something that modern technology does for us. It makes things much easier and presents a better photograph and actually satisfies something that humans cannot do,” she explained on Monday.Source: MyJoyOnline.com
The Member of Parliament for the Manhyia South Constituency in the Ashanti Region and Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as Napo, has emerged as the favourite person to be considered as running mate to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Prof. Smart Sarpong, the Director of Research and Innovation at the Kumasi Technical University, has revealed in his latest survey.
The survey is the third in less than three weeks from different organisations, apart from previous predictions putting the Energy Minister ahead of his competitors.
Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh aka Napo
Based on his findings, Prof. Sarpong said his expectation of the party people to nominate Dr. Opoku Prempeh comes ahead of the other competitors.
This position is held by 35% of the delegate participants or respondents in the survey. The good news for Dr. Bawumia is that a very good percentage of respondents (26.8%) are okay with any choice he comes up with after his consultations.
Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum and Hon. Dr. Henry Kokofu follow with 14.5% and 10.4% respectively.
Prof Smart Sarpong
The former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyina, is also expected to be named by some 8.5% of the respondents, with Chief of Staff Frema Opare also making it to what may appear to be the top-five nominees for the running mate position.
Conclusion
The flagbearer may take a cue from this and other earlier surveys from his close team and
other external researchers to form a basis for the nomination of a suitable candidate as running
mate.
Much as the party delegates’ views are crucial to his decision, Dr. Bawunia must also consider
selecting a person who is also acceptable to non-party members.
Though many party delegates expressed worry over the delay in nominating a running mate,
this report is silent over it due to the vast indication of naming the running mate soon.
The introduction of the executive summary of the research spells out the methodology, sample size, among others.
Flagbearers are clothed with the responsibility to nominate a suitable candidate to partner with in presidential elections in Ghana. In such situations, flagbearers take time to consult widely to minimise the errors associated with choosing a running mate who may not help the ticket of the party much.
In this report, we present the views of some 3577 party executives selected from some 61 battlefield constituencies within six regions in Ghana.
In political literature, a battlefield is a constituency where the losing candidate loses with more than 30% of the votes cast for that election.
This report may serve as a complementary to the many reports flagbearers receive from research and non-research consultants to help shape the decision they take.
Design
Sampling technique – Convenience; Sample Size – 3577; Selection – willful & available party officer within the constituency.
The full executive summary and the actual findings are attached below:
Hundreds of traders in the Ashanti Regional capital (Kumasi), mostly Kejetia and Race Course traders, on Tuesday, 25th June 2024, demonstrated their unwavering support for the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South, who is also the Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as Napo, as the best person to partner Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the 2024 elections.
Their endorsement comes in the wake of various research results putting Napo ahead of his competitors as the likely person to be considered by Dr. Bawumia as running mate.
Obaapanin Akoma, the leader of Race Course tomatoes sellers; Alfred Akyereko, the Organiser for Friends of Napo, among other leaders, have humbly appealed to Dr. Bawumia to choose Napo as his running mate to make it easy for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to win the 2024 general election.
According to them, the Energy Minister and MP for Manhyia South, aside from being humble, hard working and committed to the development of Ghana, is seen to be the favourite of majority of Ghanaians, especially the rank and file of the NPP.
They maintained that Napo delivered excellently when he was appointed as Education Minister which led to the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy which has benefitted lots of parents and children.
They pointed out that when Napo was again appointed as Energy Minister when the country was facing challenges in the energy sector, again he has, through many innovations and interventions, ensured stable power supply in the country.
Addressing the media, they insisted that with Napo as Dr. Bawumia’s running mate, it would ensure easy victory and help Dr Bawumia’s government to implement his good policies and programmes for the betterment of Ghanaians.
“As NPP supporters, we need somebody who…can help Dr. Bawumia win the 2024 polls and continue the good works of the Akufo-Addo administration,” they added.
The Rotary Club of Kumasi-Premier International, the fourth Rotary Club in Kumasi, will be inaugurated on Friday, June 28, 2024, at a prestigious ceremony.
The club’s diverse membership comprises Ghanaians, Asians, and individuals from various nationalities, reflecting the inclusive spirit of Rotary.
The event will feature a fundraising session aimed at supporting the screening and acute care of children of head porters in the Central Business District (CBD) of Adum, Kumasi.
Rotary International is a renowned humanitarian service organization that unites a global network of volunteer professionals and business leaders dedicated to addressing the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.
With 1.4 million members across 46,000 clubs in over 200 countries, Rotary has a strong presence in Ghana, with 67 clubs, including three in Kumasi.
The charter night will be graced by distinguished guests, including the Chief of Feyiase, Nana Addae Gyamera I, District Governor David Osei Amankwah, Regional Police Commander ACP Frank Abrokwah, and General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Central Command, Brigadier General Michael Opoku.
This development aligns with the District Governor’s announcement at the recent Rotary International District 9104 annual conference (DISCON 24) in Kumasi, where plans were unveiled to establish multiple rotary clubs in Kumasi, expanding the district’s reach and impact.
A nationwide survey organised by Research Trust Ltd, a group linked to popular NPP think tank, Dankwa Institute (DI) and led by Mr. Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa has pronounced Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO) as the running mate preferred by executives of the NPP to break the 8 in the upcoming 2024 elections.
Dr.Mathew Opoku Prempeh aka NAPO
The survey was organised over a three-week period in all sixteen (16) administrative regions as part of the NPP flagbearer’s nationwide tour. A total of 140 constituencies were sampled for the survey using factors such as the total number of the constituencies in the region, with a higher consideration for regions where NPP had more votes in 2016 and 2020.
Research Trust interviewed four (4) constituency executives and three (3) polling station executives from randomly selected polling stations resulting in a total of 560 constituency level data and 720 polling station level interviews.
The respondents by an overwhelming 92% agreed that the next running mate of the NPP should come from the Ashanti Region. When asked who in the Ashanti Region can better support the flagbearer as a running mate, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO) led with 70% votes from respondents amidst nine (9) other competing names. The results were as follows:
Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh – 70%
Hon. Frema Osei Opare – 10%
Hon. Yaw Osei Adutwum -9%
Hon. Henry Kwabena Kokofu -7.4%
Hon. Bryan Acheampong-1.2%
Hon. Naa Toshie Addo-1%
Hon. Joseph Osei Owusu-0.6%
Hon. Asamoah Boateng-0.4%
Prof. Mrs. Rita. Akosua Dickson-0.4%
NAPO scored very high on all the indicators including popularity and marketability of the candidate (81%), someone who could face the NDC boot for boot (78%), someone who understands grassroot politics (78%), and a known party faithful (71%).
The research group further observed that if the NPP intends to ‘break the 8’ in the 2024 general elections, the choice of a running mate will be crucial, and while the masses at the polling station play no role in the selection of running mate, they are the people that prosecute the party’s agenda and therefore their voices must be taken into consideration.
The survey is the latest to confirm NAPO’s lead in the race for running mate of the NPP following widely circulated reports of a similar lead in another survey by the National Investigation Bureau (NIB).
Ms Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, Global Disability Adviser, World Bank Group, says the bank is committed to ensuring that funding for education is disability-inclusive.
“I have an interest in disability education because the Bank has supported work in Ghana around inclusive education,” she said.
Ms McClain-Nhlapo said this when she visited the Demonstration School for the Deaf in Mampong-Akuapem in the Eastern Region.
“My visit to the school was to be sure that we understood the lived reality of the people that we were supporting.
“It’s been very enlightening to meet with the staff and students of the school and see how best we can continue to support inclusive education in Ghana,” she said.
Ms McClain-Nhlapo said the Ghana sign language dictionaries were translated with funding from the World Bank into videos that would make them more accessible.
She commended the school for putting in place a Hearing and Speech Diagnostic Assessment Centre and said the structure was at a basic level, and they needed modern facilities to do proper screening for placement of learners with disabilities.
The Global Disability Adviser tasked the school with undertaking a comprehensive budget for the facilities and channelled them to the Ministry of Education for the necessary action.
Mr Setumte Ametewee, Principal,
Demonstration School for the Deaf, said the school was established in 1967 and currently has a total population of 531 students, both boarders and day, from kindergarten to Senior High and Technical level.
He commended the government for absorbing all special schools into the Ghana Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP).
GALOP is a project funded by the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Education, and the Education Outcomes Fund.
The project objective is to improve the quality of education in low-performing basic education schools and strengthen education sector equity and accountability in Ghana.
Under the GALOP initiative, teachers were trained in differentiated learning and targeted instruction, which included teaching children reading and numeracy skills and the preparation of teacher-learning materials.
The Principal of the School described the GALOP initiative as useful because it had boosted the performance of the students, culminating in a pass rate of 77 per cent during the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination.
He appealed for more funding for special schools across the country due to their peculiar situation to aid effective teaching and learning.
An honorary doctorate degree has been conferred on the former District Chief Executive (DCE) for Amansie Central in the Ashanti Region, Nana Kwame Asamoah Bosteng, by the Elohim Theological College & Seminary.
The colourful awards ceremony was held at Asokwa in Kumasi on Friday, 21st June 2024.
Jon.Dr.Nana Kwame Asamoah Boateng
The concluding part of the full citation that catalogued the educational background, work experience, positions held in both private & public, his political contributions to humanity, as well as numerous developmental projects initiated during his tenure as DCE, is given below:
FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO YOUR CALLING AS A HUMANITARIAN AND A PHILANTHROPIST, YOUR INTELLECTUAL INSIGHTS, YOUR PRICELESS AND TIMELESS RESEARCH ON ISSUES RELATED TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, HUMILITY AND THE SOCIETY IN GENERAL, THE DOCTORAL BOARD OF ELOHIM THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE & SEMINARY, UNDER THE DIRECTION AND LEADERSHIP OF ARCHBISHOP – ELECT, DR. KWAME ABURAM ANOFF SR., HAS CONFERRED ON YOU AN HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE IN HUMANE LETTERS, D.HL (HONORIS CAUSA) AWARDS – on this 21st day of June, 2024, in the city of Accra – Ghana. Congratulations
The citation
The full citation that accompanied the honorary doctorate degree conferred on
Nana Kwame Asamoah Boateng, who was awarded alongside many high-profile Ghanaians, is attached below:
“You are a Distinguished person with a high level of self-determination and motivation,very consistent ,reliable and diligent in all endeavours.You are an outstanding man with a personal objective of contributing your quota to maximize profit in every environment you finds yourself.
Based on your numerous work experience and exposure over the years,you have acquired the ability for problem solving,strategic thinking,planning and decision making.
As far as the concept of selling to attract funding.You are a dynamic ,focused, goal oriented and diligent person with excellent communication and organizational skills.
You are very analytical and able to handle responsibilities with or without supervision and has a strong good team spirit as well.This is reflected in your work experience. You are an ambitious man, who is very dedicated, energetic ,dynamic,a team player with a flexible approach, a quick and confident leaner.
You holds a middle level school leaving certificate ,GCE ‘O’Level & ‘A’ level certificates, General course in Construction certificate, Construction Technician certificate I & II Certificates, Advanced Diploma in Project Management certificate-UK and Bachelor of Science in Construction Technology and Management certificate.
You were the Managing Director for Interstates KAB Ltd which is into general building & construction from 1997-2004,District Chief Executive(DCE)for Amansie Central District of the Ashanti region from 2005-2007,elected as Deputy Ashanti regional secretary of NPP from 2010-2015,reappointed as DCE for Amansie Central District from 2017-2021 and has been the Managing Director for Interstates KAB Ltd from 2021 till today.
The following infrastructural projects were initiated and completed during Hon.Nana Kwame Asamoah-Boateng’s administration as two -term DCE for Amansie Central district;Construction of the District Assembly block at Jacobu,District Chief Executive and Senior staff quarters at Jacobu,District education headquarters at Jacobu,District Agriculture office at Jacobu,Junior staff bungalow at Jacobu,District police bungalow at Jacobu,Jacobu Senior High Technical School’s Boys dormitory, Girls dormitory,computer science block,Six(6) unit classroom block,SDA JHS,DA JHS,Jacobu Market square,Jacobu lorry park and toilet facility,females and males ward,etc.
About Ten(10) area health centres and Chip Compounds including Nurses quarters ,re-grading of feeder roads in the district yearly,over 70 basic schools completed,established a new government Senior High School at Subyeaso /Tweapease in the Amansie Central and one 60-seater bus and one(1) Toyota pick-up were lobbied for the school.
One (1) 60 Seater bus and one(1) Toyota pick-up was also lobbied for Jacobu Senior High Technical School.Other projects implemented include;construction of ICCES new Afoako Technical Vocational Institute,over 150 students of tertiary institutions were assisted with government scholarships,agricultural equipment and other farm inputs were supplied to cocoa farmers,lobbied for the construction of District court at Jacobu,construction of District police headquarters at Jacobu,construction of Aboabo lorry park at Afoako,supported several people living with disabilities,yearly supply of rice,oild ,tomatoes, cash and many more to the aged in the various communities within the Amansie central district, donation of trunks,matrresses,pillows,cash and chop boxes etc to needy students in the district. You are also first to introduce “community mining” in the country in the year 2018 and it is through your efforts that the first tarred road from Afoako junction to Jacobu was constructed.
You are a Mentor and a role model to many, a life coach, a researcher, a philanthropist and a humanitarian through your philanthropic services, multitude have experienced new life, salvation and hope.
FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO YOUR CALLING AS A HUMANITARIAN AND A PHILANTROPIST,YOUR INTELLECTUCAL INSIGHTS,YOUR PRICELESS AND TIMELESS RESEARCH ON ISSUES RELATED TO CMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,HUMILITY AND THE SOCIETY IN GENERAL,THE DOCTORAL BOARD OF ELLOHIM THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE & SEMINARY,UNDER THE DIRECTION AND LEADERSHIP OF ARCHBISHOP –ELECT,DR.KWAME ABURAM ANOFF SR.HAS CONFERED ON YOU AS HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE IN HUMANE LETTERS,D.HL,(HONORIS CAUSA).AWARDS This 21st Day of June,2024 in the City of Accra-Ghana.Congratulations!1!
In his response to the honour,Hon. Dr.Nana Kwame Asamoah Boateng, thanked the almighty God for the honour done him He,also thanked Elohim Theological college & Seminary, for seeing his contributions to society , especially when he was the DCE for Amansie Central. He, was grateful that, they have seen his contributions and decided to honour.According to him,the award gives him more challenge to continue to do more to the society.
He, however,tasked individuals, who had the opportunity to occupy public organizations to commit themselves and work diligently at all times.
Among distinguished personalities honoured were; the Members of Parliament (MPs) for Juaben Constituency, Hon. Ama Pomaa, Hon. Freda Prempeh, MP for Tano-North, and MP for Sefwi Akontombra, Alex Tettey etc
