UTAG-UCC Inducts New Executives

The University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (UTAG), UCC chapter on Thursday held a handing over ceremony to officially usher new executives of the association into office.
The brief ceremony was attended by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah and the Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan.
In his handing over speech, the immediate past president of the association, Prof. Kwame Osei Kwarteng said his administration by dint of hard work, dedication and commitment was able to chalk unprecedented successes which has led to drastic development of the association.

According to him, UTAG under his watch has a good financial standing and urged the new administration to build on the achievements of the just exited administration. Addressing the gathering in his inaugural address, the newly sworn in president, Dr. Eric Opoku Mensah acknowledged the efforts of the immediate past administration and promised to continue their good work.
He used the opportunity to appeal to the management of the university to address some challenges that impede the activities of members of the association.
Dr. Opoku Mensah said the introduction of a comprehensive health care system for members will help reduce the undue financial stress in the area of medical expenses on them. He again said it is necessary for management of the university to consider and review leave opportunities for members of UTAG-UCC since the current system was not the best.

On his part, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah said for the association to be vibrant, active and able to achieve its set targets, members of UTAG-UCC must with a united front pursue their goals. He said his administration was ready to work with the new administration to advance the association’s course.

The inducted executives are Dr. Eric Opoku Mensah as President, DR. Eunice Fay Amissah as Vice President, Dr. Bert Boadi-Kusi as secretary and Dr. Kojo Okyere as Treasurer.

Source: ATL FM News

Department Of Optometry - UCC Supports Residents Of Nkafoa In Cape Coast

The Department of Optometry of the University of Cape Coast is undertaking an outreach programme at Nkafoa in Cape Coast to support individuals with various eye problems within the area and its environs.
The two day screening programme is with the support of an International organisation from the UK, Vision Aid Overseas.
The visit of the organisation to UCC, which is the second, focuses on supporting less privileged communities within the Cape Coast metropolis and the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem [KEEA] municipality.
Medicated eye glasses at subsidized prices would also be given to beneficiaries.
According to the coordinator of the programme, Dr. Enyan Monney, the programme forms part of the department's effort to give back to society.
Participants undergoing visual acuity test Photo Credit: OSAGUCC
In an interaction with ATL FM News, Peter Beverly Smith, a trustee and team leader of Vision Aid Overseas disclosed that in the last twelve months, the organisation had given out 53, 403 side tests and dispensed 28, 890 pairs of glasses.
The charity was founded in 1985 and has visited a number of African countries including Burkina Faso, Zambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia.

Source: ATL FM News

Ag. UEW VC marks attendance register as he threatens to dismiss striking lecturers

Tension is rising on the campus of the University of Education, Winneba as lecturers have been threatened by the  acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Rev. Prof. Anthony Afful Broni to terminate the contracts of striking lecturers.

University of Education, Winneba lecturers have been on strike since July after a Winneba High Court ordered the Vice Chancellor and the Chief Finance Officer to handover to the Pro Vice Chancellor pending a final determination of a suit filed by one Supi Kofi Kwayera challenging the legitimacy of the Vice Chancellor and the Chief Finance Officer.

The orders were part of the reliefs granted for the interlocutory injunction sought by the plaintiff, Supi Kofi Kwayera, in the case brought against the University which insisted that the Vice Chancellor and the Finance Officer were operating under the institution’s defunct governing council.

In an exclusive interview with  Ghanacrusader.com, on the latest development the local UTAG president of UEW, Dr. Samuel Bekoe accused the acting vice chancellor, Rev. Prof Anthony Afful Broni of adopting intimidating strategies to compel lecturers to return to the lecture halls.

According to Dr. Bekoi, the Ag. VC has circulated a memo threatening to dismiss lecturers who do not attend classes.

He further revealed that the Ag. VC have instructed course reps of the various faculties to present to his outfit the names of lecturers who misses out on their various periods, coupled with his daily tour of the lecture halls.

‘’ From Monday we found the pro Vice chancellor going round lecture rooms and we find that very surprising because it has never happened before. He is also using other people to go round the offices telling lecturers that there is a clause in the status that states that if a lecturer doesn’t teach the lecturer should be dismissed, so he is going to evoke that clause on lecturers who refused to teach.

‘’In his rounds he also told the class reps of the various departments to keep attendance of lecturers who will come to teach.’’ He lamented.

Dr. Bekoe has however asked the striking lecturers not to feel intimidated by the threats of the Ag. Vice Chancellor as there is no such clause that gives him the powers to terminate contracts of lecturers who have embarked on a legitimate strike.

‘’we are assuring our members that there is no such clause in the university’s statutes and secondly this is a union decision that has the backing of the National Association. Per the labor Act we have every right to go on strike and no one can use intimidation against us.’’ He stated.

In a statement UTAG stated that the strike action will commence from the 18th of September, 2017 till further notice.

Source: GHANACRUSADER

Confusion rocks GIJ over students’ GPA

Confusion has rocked the Ghana Institute of Journalism over the GPA of students who are set to graduate next week Friday.

The school, after concerns from angry students Wednesday, removed the classes of students which had been posted on its notice board.

StarrFMonline.com sources at the technical unit of the media school say authorities mistakenly graded and awarded classes to students who had either deffered or were unable to write exams and therefore were not eligible to graduate.

The incident provoked the affected students who reportedly thronged the school to protest as they had been given either Second Class lower or just a Pass.

Speaking to StarrFMonline.com on the development, the Rector of the school Dr. Wilberforce Dzisah said the anomaly is being rectified and the classes will be posted back on the school’s notice board latest by Friday.

“In terms of the classes they normally generate GPA; there is something that students should understand, If you have a referral the system will still capture you whether you have that re-sit that you have not redeem or not; they will capture and bring out the class, the class that you deserve.

Because even if it is even F; let’s assume you have F that is called E which is a failure, the system will still capture your total GPA.

“I was informed that when they were putting out the grade to generate the classes, what they did was that, instead of isolating all those who had those cases; like the re-sit cases and also those who deferred the course, they just printed everything and then it was when some of these people raised that issue that ‘look, this class I can’t get it because I have done this, I have done that;’ then they realized that it was a mistake.

But it doesn’t mean that what they have published, those who had the true reflection of what they have done; it doesn’t mean that anything will change,” he explained.

He further explained “next week Friday is the graduation, so you are running against time because for the past two weeks or so our server which is hosted by NITA it has been down. So once they are doing this and you know we have given deadlines for this thing to be out and published.

So I am sure that might have accounted for; for example now cross checking again, referrals and re-sit; whatever comes out from the system in terms of the class and the GPAs, they just printed them out; but they are isolating them one by one.

“It will be (re-pasted) on the notice board by tomorrow or Friday. You see and I know there are those also who probably did not do well and who were thinking that some miracle will happen. There is no miracle when it comes to academic performance. Once you have not studied, you have not achieved what you are supposed to achieve in terms on the grades you are supposed to get in the classroom; nobody can change those grades for any individual”.

Source: Starrfmonline.com

KNUST Female Students Invent Sanitation App For Proper Waste Disposal

Two students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have challenged Government and other policy makers to use science and technology to address Ghana’s sanitation problems.

The two; Miss Agyirakwa Monney Bernice and Doreenda Nikoi Kotei-Sika, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science students at the Kwame Nkrumah Science and Technology (KNUST) respectively have developed an app which has been electronically fitted into waste bins to direct the public on proper waste disposal.

They emerged winners at the 2017 edition of the MTN Girl Code Project in Kumasi.
The project which is a partnership between Women in Technology Africa and the MTN-Ghana Foundation is a five-day boot camp which equips young women with basic coding techniques and business validation processes to enable them develop solutions to problems in their communities.

Some of these apps and business ideas focused on breast care, kayayei, food and sanitation.
The winners have pledged to broaden their innovation which will go a long way to solve the sanitation problems in the country.

According to them, they will partner sanitation agencies to produce such waste bins for the primary and Junior High Schools (JHSs) across the country as a way of inculcating good sanitary practices and hygiene into pupils.
They also called on Government to support such ideas in its bid to keep the country clean.

A facilitator and Ghana Chapter Lead for Women in Tech-Africa, Selasi Dzikunu expressed delight at the partnership between her outfit and MTN-Ghana.
She said this had afforded the ladies the opportunity to develop modern applications to address needs on the market.

Data and Channel Manager for MTN-Ghana in charge of the Northern Business District, Steven Asare urged Ghanaian women to take particular interest in the study of science and technology.

According to him, there is a lot to accomplish if ladies attend their hearts to pursuing courses in the area of science and technology.

Credit: GHCAMPUS. COM

Nursing and Midwifery Licensing Exams to be Conducted online Starting 2018

Licencing examination of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana will from July next year be conducted online. The new online system, according to the Council, is to ease the laborious processes associated with the manual system, as well as strengthen the examination capacity of the council. Registrar of the Council, Felix Nyante, announced this at the Council’s 2017 mid-year review at Nsuta in the Ashanti region. He said the Dutch government has provided grant to the Council to revamp its examination processes and procedures. He said the grant is also to support the Council to strengthen its organizational capacity to conduct efficient, effective and credible licensing examination. Mr Nyante noted the Council wants to focus on ICT deployment to accelerate on performance.

“We want to rest on ICT infrastructure to accelerate our performance. We want to see a situation where nurses and midwives can sit in their offices, homes, and various hospitals to log on unto our website and renew their license” he said.

He was confident the online licencing examination would make the Council more effective and efficient. Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, Dr Afisah Zakariah, commended the Council for its effort to introduce the online licencing examination next year. “The ministry is happy that the Council in collaboration with a consortium in the Netherlands called CINOP Global will be introducing the online licencing examination in 2018. This will ease the laborious processes engaged in the old manual system and make licensing examination in Ghana a trustworthy one”, she said.

She entreated the Council to work closely with the health training institutions and the service delivery agencies to uphold nursing and midwifery standards and practices at all levels. Dr Zakariah tasked the Council to ensure that schools seeking for accreditation meet the all criteria before being issued accreditation. “All new schools seeking for accreditation must meet all standards and criteria before given accreditation to run. Similarly, all existing schools that are lagging behind in terms of meeting the standards are made to satisfy the Council’s rules”. The mid-year performance review conference brought together all regional representatives of the Nursing and Midwifery Council to deliberate and share ideas on achievements and challenges to enable them strategize for a more improved future. The conference was on the theme “Peak Performance”.

Source: 3news.com

UCC unveils higher sucrose yielding sugarcane variety‼️​

Researchers at the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) have unveiled a new variety of sugarcane that has a greater sucrose level aimed at boosting production at the Komenda Sugar Factory.

The variety, that has a sucrose yield of 15-23% as against the 15-18% level of what is currently at the factory's nursery, also takes a shorter period to mature than varieties currently grown in the country, the researchers have indicated.

At a press conference on Friday, Dr Aaron T. Asare, head of the team noted there was obvious "lack of research and adequate planning prior to building the the Komenda Sugar Factory".

Dr Asare further stated, "the University of Cape Coast has the research expertise to put together a short-medium and long term research plan for execution in collaboration with other stakeholders to enable the Komenda Sugar Factory operate".

The team added, "we refute any argument that it is impossible for Ghana to produce sugarcane for functioning of the Factory, and the University is ready for government, collaborators locally and internationally to put our hands together to see to it that this factory realise its dream of producing sugar" They, however, appealed for "government commitment, financial support and release of land for use", indicating though this is an initiative of the University, the team needs "a definite government policy and commitment to link research to policy".

Credit: CITI NEWS