Category: Literacy

Nasco Feeding Minds, a non-governmental organisation, has launched the Nasco Code Academy as part of its mission to champion digital literacy in underserved areas.

The Academy was launched at Sawla in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region, with the aim to providing a year’s intensive training to equip beneficiaries with skills to meet demands of the digital industry.

Another Nasco Code Academy was launched early this month at Techiman in the Bono Region.

Its comprehensive curriculum promises a transformative experience where graduates would emerge competitive with skills of highly sought-after programming.

Graduates of the Academy are expected to be more than just consumers of technology, empowered to craft solutions that tackle local challenges.

Representatives of directors of education, local government officials, head teachers, parents and other stakeholders attended the launch.

Mr Banasco Nuhu Seidu, the Executive Director, Nasco Feeding Minds, said; ‘Nasco Code Academy is not just ab
out equipping young people with technical skills. It is about empowering them to become active participants in the global tech revolution.’

Launching the code academy was the NGO’s leap in its operations to bridge the digital divide and prepare the next generation of Ghanaian tech leaders, he said.

Nasco Feeding Minds, over a decade, had been committed to serving deprived communities with 17 ICT centres built across the country to offer basic computer skills training to the youth.

‘Ghana’s tech sector is hungry for skilled professionals, and the Nasco Code Academy is here to bridge the gap. This initiative goes beyond routine memorisation. It fosters a culture of innovation and problem-solving,’ Mr Nuhu Seidu said.

He expressed optimism that providing quality digital education to the youth would help mitigate poverty and forced migration crisis.

The Nasco Feeding Minds, through the Code Academy, would prepare the youth in coding and software engineering skills and assign them to various companies to work
, he noted.

Sawla Wura Abdulai Nugbaso, the Chief of Sawla, lauded the initiative and encouraged beneficiaries to seize the opportunity to become masters of the field to earn a living with the skills acquired.

He pledged to support in any way possible to complement the efforts of the NGO.

Mr Wilfred Yelelagee, who spoke on behalf of the Sawla District Director of Education, said the Nasco Feeding Minds had been committed to improving education in the region, which was worth emulating.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The 2022-year batch of the Coalition of Unemployed Trained Teachers from 46 public Colleges of Education has appealed to the government to fulfill its promise of automatic postings for graduate teachers.

The coalition, at a press conference in Tamale on Tuesday, said: ‘Automatic posting as it is widely known, is a norm for every batch or group from the Colleges of Education.

‘We, the first batch of the newly introduced Bachelor of Education Degree programme, have been ignored and left to our fate. It saddens us as pioneers of a new programme, who have equally met all the requirements for postings to still be at home by this time.’

Mr Mohammed Murtala, President, Coalition of Unemployed Trained Teachers, who read the statement on behalf of the group at the press conference, said the development had become dire to the extent that most of the members of the coalition, who out of frustration, decided to apply for private schools, were rejected with the notion that government would soon employ them.

The statem
ent said: ‘There is a looming danger in the education sector if we are not employed immediately because the 2023-year group is currently doing their national service. So, if we are not recruited immediately, there is a possibility of creation of blockage in the sector.’

It said since 2018 when the National Service and Licensure Examinations were introduced in the Colleges, no trained and licensed teacher had remained unemployed and wondered why the 2022-year group after satisfying all the requirements, had remained home.

It said the group on February 21, 2024, released its first press statement and followed it with a letter to the Ghana Education Service, copied to the Ministry of Education on the February 29, 2024, but there was no response.

The statement said, ‘This made us resort to another press release on the 15th of March 2024. This time, there was a swift response, and a formal meeting was held with the Ghana Education Service on the 22nd of March 2024.’

It added, ‘We were assured that the portal f
or recruitment would be opened in April, this year. Shockingly to us, we are in the tail end of April yet there is no single message or information concerning our postings. To say we are in disarray and perturbed will be an understatement.’

It emphasised that, ‘In the interest of the Ghanaian learners, who are anxiously waiting for their Common Core Teachers, and the interest of the Ghanaian taxpayers, whose taxes were used in training us, we want the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education to do the needful and fulfill their duties by recruiting us at the end of this month.’

It added that, ‘We also expect that provisions be made in advance for our colleagues with resit. Otherwise, we will hit the streets to register our displeasure.’

Members of the coalition during the press conference held placards with inscriptions such as ‘Why Implement a New Curriculum and Delay the Postings of the Pioneers’, ‘We Cannot Continue to Depend on Our Parents’, ‘Post us Now’, ‘Four Years of Intensive Studies,
One year of Mandatory National Service and Successfully Passing Licensure Exams, but Yet Unemployed,’ among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Management of the Ho Technical University says it is not aware of any attempts to rename the University.

It said the Vice-Chancellor had neither been invited to nor participated in any meeting or event regarding renaming of the University.

Dr Christopher K. Ameh??, Registrar of the University, in a statement noted that Management of the University received a letter dated April 20, 2024, addressed to the Vice-Chancellor and signed by the Secretary to the Asogli State Council on behalf of the Council.

The release said the letter was presented by a delegation of chiefs and people of Asogli, led by Togbe Adzie Lakle Howusu XII, on Monday, April 22, 2024.

It said the Management had also taken note of a press conference held by the traditional leaders prior to the presentation of their letter to the University.

The release said Management had initiated steps to engage with the Council to address any concern regarding the matter in the interest of ensuring the peace and progress of the University.

However,
the Minority in Parliament has described attempts by the government to rename the University after a Ghanaian composer, Ephraim Amu as illegal.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, says a total of 60,481 new students have enrolled in various Government TVET institutions for the 2023/2024 academic calendar compared to less than 20,000 students enrolled annually prior to 2017.

With this new enrolment, the total number of enrolments in Government TVET institutions, which provide free TVET, stands at 157,681.

This follows the realignment of TVET institutions to the Ministry of Education (MoE) and consolidation of the Free TVET for ALL, coupled with the implementation of the MyTVET campaign to change perceptions about TVET in the country.

Dr Adutwum whose speech was read by Prof. Mark Adom Asamoah, Advisor on STEM at the Ministry of Education, made the disclosure at the maiden TVET Symposium and the launch of the Second Edition of the Ghana TVET Report in Accra.

The conference, which was on the theme: ‘Advancing TVET and skills development towards sustainable and decent job creation’, was attended by officials from TVET institutions, and studen
ts.

Dr Adutwum also said to fully harness the potential offered by TVET, the government had initiated a number of policies as part of the TVET transformation agenda, and in the process of developing new Competency Based Training (CBT) curriculum amidst massive investments in TVET infrastructure, and TVET teacher training, among others.

Dr Adutwum also revealed that the Government of Ghana in collaboration with development partners had established a competitive fund, called the Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF).

He said the GSDF was embedded in the Government’s TVET policy to ‘improve the productivity and competitiveness of the skilled workforce and raise the income-earning capacities of people, especially women, low-income groups, and People with Disabilities (PWDs) through the provision of quality-oriented, industry-focused, and competency-based training programmes and complementary services’.

He said at least 42,000 individuals were expected to be employed in the private enterprises for six months af
ter the implementation of the grant, resulting in increased income and better welfare of Ghanaians.

He said just last year, over 200 million Ghana cedis was disbursed to more enterprises as part of the implementation of the GSDF.

‘I would like to encourage all gathered here to take advantage of this opportunity that has been provided by the government’ he said.

Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, Director General, Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) in his remark, stated that as part of the Commission’s mandate as stipulated in Act 1023, they were expected to develop and publish annual reports on the state of TVET in Ghana.

He said the Commission had since 2022 been developing those reports meant to collect data on a set of indicators to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of the TVET sector.

He said the TVET Reporting provided a spine for the development of programmes and Policy formulation and also contributed to building a robust TVET system for Ghana’s development.

Source:
Ghana News Agency

Chief of Azulenloanu, Nana Addo-Nreda VI, has appealed to the Ghana National Gas Company to refurbish the dilapidated classroom block in the Azulenloanu community to allow children of school going age to be enrolled in the school.

He expressed wary that the current situation of the classroom block had forced many parents of the community to withdraw their children to other schools in neighbouring communities.

Nana Addo-Nreda VI made the appeal when he paid a visit to the Ghana Gas Office Complex at A.B. Bokazo in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.

The visit afforded him the opportunity to discuss developmental problems worrying the Azulenloanu community within the oil and gas enclave and solicit the Company’s assistance for redress.

The Traditional Ruler expressed deep concern about the near collapse of the Pre-School building which had forced Nursery school children to stop going to school.

Nana Addo-Nreda VI said the rooftop of the building leaked during the rainy seasons thereby disrupting
teaching and learning activities.

The situation has compelled school children to sit down in the dust and learn as the floor as well as the entire block had not been plastered.

The Chief said lack of teachers’ bungalow forced newly posted teachers to the town to run away.

Nana Addo-Nreda VI implored Ghana Gas Company to factor the school into their corporate strategic plan and come to the aid of the school.

He said education was the future of the current generation and the community could not afford to sit down aloof for the total collapse of the school.

For his part, Senior Manager in charge of Community Relations at the Ghana National Gas Company, Mr Stephen Donkor expressed concern about the plight of the school and the community.

He said Ghana Gas Company had made significant investments in education as the bedrock of national development.

Mr Donkor assured the Chief that the concerns of the community would be tabled before the Chief Executive Officer of the Company for consideration.

Source: Gha
na News Agency

Mr Kwamina Asomaning, Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Ghana, has advised that the country’s academic curriculum be designed to meet the needs of industry players.

Mr Asomaning underscored the importance of ensuring that the curriculum was in line with the needs of industry players to ensure that students were equipped to make positive contributions in the professional space.

The Chief Executive made the call at the launch of Academics, Business and Administration Forum (ABAF) in Accra.

‘At Stanbic Bank, we currently collaborate with some American universities to address industry needs.

‘They send their students to us to elicit key challenges that need solutions. These are then factored into the training that the schools offer their students.

‘The projects address specific business or management issues with the students assigned to projects based on their interests, qualifications, and experience,’ he said.

He said ‘while the students gained invaluable practical international experience, we received high
-quality professional consulting services under faculty supervision. Is it possible for academia in Ghana to adopt such an initiative?’

Mr Asomaning commended the organisers for the initiative and encouraged them in their efforts to raise future-ready students.

‘I want to emphasise the importance of involving students and youth in our discussions. They are the innovators of our country, and their voices and perspectives are invaluable. Let’s create opportunities for them to learn, grow, and contribute to our collective effort.’

Stanbic Bank over the years has shown support to academia through various initiatives.

Last year, the Bank donated 50 laptops to the University of Ghana in support of the Vice Chancellor’s ‘One Student One Laptop’ initiative.

The Bank collaborated with the ‘Women in STEM Ghana’ to train, equip and inspire 200 girls from 23 senior high schools to learn and develop their skills and knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Many other educational institutions ha
ve benefited from the Bank’s STEM-focused interventions, including KNUST, Takoradi

Technical University, Sunyani School of Professional Studies, and the Blessed Holy Child Academy.

ABAF is a platform dedicated to the promotion of synergies between academia and industry for effective development.

Source: Ghana News Agency