UCC HOT NUUZ

Friday, 8 December 2017

The Health Ministry has confirmed that a viral infection, Swine Flu, H1N1, caused the death of four students at the Kumasi Academy School.
Out of 19 samples sent to the NOGUCHI Memorial Institute from the Kumasi Academy in the Ashanti Region, 12 tested positive for influenza type A, the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu has announced.

According to the Minister, reports on further tests were received confirming Influenza type-A H1N1 2009 [Otherwise known as Swine Flu], pandemic strain.
The tests became necessary following what many have called mysterious deaths involving four students of the school in the past week.

Several students are also on admission, whereas the whole student population have been administered with antibiotics as part of a prophylaxis.
Of the 32 cases on admission 27 had signs of fever, headaches, joint and body pains, coughs abnormal chest signs and auscultation.

«Acute respiratory infections likely cause of deaths«
The Health Minister also suggested that some of the deaths mat have been caused an outbreak of acute respiratory infections.
Based on findings on respiratory samples sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Mr. Agyemang-Manu said there was “an outbreak of an acute respiratory infection with severe presentations and some resulting in death.”

“Fortunately, the outbreaks are so far confined to a small area in Kumasi Academy. It hasn’t spread to the very nearest town where their school is located,” the Minister added.
It should be noted that the outright cause of death of the four students of the school and the hospitalization of 32 has yet to be fully confirmed.

«WHO’s notes on influenza«
There are three types of seasonal influenza viruses, types A, B, and C, but only influenza type A viruses are known to have caused pandemics.
Placed under the umbrella of seasonal influenza, the World Health Organisation notes that this virus is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, cough, headaches, muscle and joint pain, severe malaise, sore throat and a runny nose.

Most people are said to recover from the fever and other symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention but influenza can cause severe illness or death in people deemed high risk.
Pregnant women, children aged between six to 59 months, the elderly, individuals with specific chronic medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, asthma, and chronic heart or lung diseases, and health-care workers have the highest risk of contracting the virus, according to WHO.
Vaccination is said to be the most effective way to prevent the disease, even when circulating viruses may not exactly match the vaccine viruses.

«Swine Flu«
It’s an infection caused by a virus. It’s named for a virus that pigs can get. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. In 2009 a strain of swine flu called H1N1 infected many people around the world.
The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

There are antiviral medicines you can take to prevent or treat swine flu. There is a vaccineavailable to protect against swine flu. You can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza by
Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners.

Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Trying to avoid close contact with sick people.
Staying home from work or school if you are sick.

«End of panic and uncertainty«
The discovery of the cause of death brings some relief to parents, especially since there is a vaccine to prevent further infections.
The Ministry of Health has recalled students who were earlier treatement with antibiotics based on suspictions that the deaths were caused by a bacteria and sent home.
So far forty four students have been infected with the virus in the school.

Credit : EducationGhana

Thursday, 7 December 2017

NSS Boss; scheme sued by personnel over ‘compulsory’ insurance

NSS Boss Mustapha Ussif
Some disgruntled National Service personnel have sued the National Service Scheme and its Executive Director, Mustapha Ussif, over the GH¢ 15 compulsory insurance charges.
The personnel say the deduction from their allowance is unlawful and unreasonable.

They are therefore asking the court to compel the National Service Scheme to cease the deductions which took effect from November, 2017.

A lawyer for the aggrieved National Service Personnel, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, told Citi News “They [personnel] have not authorized anybody to enter into an insurance contract on their behalf. An insurance contract must have a policyholder who should enter into a contract with the insurance company [but this did not happen].”

“Where is the insurance policy? Where is the contract?” he questioned.
Some National Service personnel have been up in arms over the compulsory insurance policy, which they say has been imposed on them by the National Service Scheme headed by Ussif Mustapha.
The personnel argued that, the decision to have the insurance program, was not made by them, neither were they consulted before its implementation, hence deductions must not be made from their meager allowances compulsorily.

NSS personnel petition CHRAJ over compulsory insurance
Some National Service Personnel earlier this week petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), over the mandatory insurance package introduced for them by the National Service Secretariat.
According to them, the imposition of the insurance package infringes on their basic human rights since the decisions taken by the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA), does not bind all service personnel.

Service personnel agreed to ‘compulsory’ insurance – NSS Boss
The National Service Scheme’s head, Mustapha Ussif, has denied suggestions that the compulsory insurance package meant for all service personnel in the country is being imposed on the personnel.

He insisted that the personnel backed the insurance package, and even pushed the management of the Scheme to implement it. He said the National Service Personnel Association of Ghana (NASPA), the group which represents service personnel across the country, decided unanimously at their Congress to back the policy.

The insurance package
The NSS partnered with MTN and Glico Life Insurance, earlier this week, to launch the life insurance cover for the over 90,000 personnel.
This compulsory insurance package spearheaded by various insurance companies is expected to pay claims to service personnel who get involved in accidents in their line of duty.
The claims vary from GHc 15,000 in cases of death or incapacitation and GHS3,000 for cases of disability. As part of the insurance package, National Service personnel are entitled to a GHc 500 loan which is payable within six months.

NSS insurance meant to reward NPP financier – Kpessah Whyte
A former Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Dr. Michael Kpessah-Whyte, had alleged that the compulsory insurance package is a venture to pay back a financier of the governing New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) election campaign.

According to him, the insurance scheme may have been put together to reward the owner of a known insurance company, who supported the NPP’s campaign with GH¢1 million.
He is thus of the view that the policy is not in the interest of National Service persons, and that it constitutes “daylight robbery.”

NSS insurance scheme not a reward from NPP – GLICO
However, GLICO Life has denied allegations that its engagement with the NSS to provide an insurance package for National Service personnel, is a reward for the company because the owner was a financier of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The Managing Director of GLICO Life, Forkuo Kyei, in a statement to citifmonline.com said the allegations are unfounded as GLICO Life is part of five other companies offering the insurance package to the service personnel.

Credit: Jonas Nyabor«citifmonline

Admit WASSCE Students With Grade D7 And E8 Into Varsity - Prof

Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow-Obeng has suggested that WASSCE students with grade D7 and E8 in the core subjects be allowed to enter the universities through an access course programme.

He said the only option left for students with those grades was to re-sit the examination thus losing almost a year and added that it was possible for private universities to mount access courses for these students.

Rev. Adow-Obeng, who is the president of the Presbyterian University College (PUC), explained that the access programmes could be done under the supervision of the mentor universities for a specific duration and then be admitted to a full university course.

Speaking at the 15th matriculation of the school at the Akropong campus, he noted that during the A-level times D and E grades qualified people to enter the university and added that “many therefore entered the university with these grades and so let’s consider it seriously”.

The ceremony saw the formal admission of 722 people into the various programmes on the five campuses at Okwahu, Asante-Akyem, Akuapem, Kumasi and Tema to pursue various undergraduate programmes.

Rev Adow-Obeng who is the board chair for the Ghana Broadcasting Corperation mentioned the relief tax given to the private universities as a step in the right direction and while thanking government for that, he also called for the extension of the Getfund for lecturers in the private universities for upgrading.

He announced that to facilitate teaching and learning in the school, the University in collaboration with Vodafone Ghana had issued modems each to the entire student population and each student would enjoy 1.5gigabyte data monthly throughout the year including vacations.
According to him, under this arrangement, there would not be any limitations to students’ access to the internet and advised the students to use the opportunity to research into additional files that would support their academic work.

He cautioned that the PUC was a Christian university and believed that faith in God was key to success and reminded the fresh students that the university’s anthem talked about “hard work, humility, perseverance, faithfulness, and commitment”, that they needed to uphold to build them up.

Source: GNA

Saturday, 2 December 2017

Two students die, three others hospitalized at Kumasi Academy

Two first year students of Kumasi Academy are reported dead after being rushed to the hospital on Thursday.
The students died at the KNUST hospital, where they were taken to after being taken ill for showing symptoms of fever.
Three others are said to be on admission for the same illness, which is yet to be disclosed.

The two are said to be a General Science and Business students.
Earlier this year, in April to be precise, four students lost their lives after an outbreak of meningitis.

This generated fear and panic on campus with parents and guardians storming the school to have their wards taken home .
Parents storm the campus in April to take their children home
Some of the students claimed the deaths were spiritual.

Coincidentally, the recent deaths come on the eve of Kum Aca’s golden jubilee to be held on Saturday.

More to follow…

Source: 3News

Gov’t in talks with WAEC over change in WASSCE date to May

Ghana’s Education Ministry says it is in talks with the West African Examination Council in a bid to extend the date for writing the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) beginning 2018.

In a statement issued by the Minister of Education, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh during the Meet-The-Press series on Thursday, November 30,2017.,the Minister explained that the purpose of the supposed extension was to ensure that the full nine terms of teaching and learning are fully exhausted by students as required by the syllabus.

According to the Minister, the change is expected to improve results for final year students since they would have adequate time to prepare.
“The SHS syllabus is for nine terms, three terms in a year, so we envisage that by the time the child has finished the nine terms, he or she would be ready to take the West African Senior School Certification Examination. The West African Senior School Certification Examination starts in February, which is the second term, and finishes just the first week in the third term, so it means that the whole of the second term they lost teaching and learning to exams and they never had any teaching and learning for the third term. Meaning that three terms out of the nine wasted, so it was six terms they were using for a syllabus that said nine terms. No wonder the results were poor.”he exclaimed.

He also indicated that the Education Ministry has met WAEC over the issue and is hopeful that the examination will no longer begin in February but May in 2018.

Source :EducationGhana.net

Teachers cry over unending theft cases in Wa

Teachers in Dorimon in the Way West district of the Upper West region are complaining bitterly of the continues theft cases in the district which is affecting their works as teachers in the district.

Some of the teachers have complained of how their items including mattresses, home appliances and even sandals get stolen when they travel during holidays.
According to one of the teachers,his mattress and bedsheet were stolen and when he laid a complain nothing was done so he issued a threat to take an oath, after some few days these items were found in a nearby bush.

Another teacher said his shoes were stolen also and when he threatened to take an oath these sandals were later returned but he refused to push the case further for personal reasons.

In a related story by upperwestmedia.net, when the website contacted Ababasa , assembly man for the area , he lamented, “we are aware of the disturbing issue, most teachers have reported similar cases to us but when we insist on pursuing the issue further they resisted”.
The Assembly member also directed the also the issue of increasing crime rate to the few number of police officers they have in the area.

“When there is a problem, what we do is to contact the wechiau patrols which is situated far from here if something can be done about that, am not satisfied with the number of police officers we have and besides some are not performing their duties”.he stated.

The teachers lamented on the adverse effects of the theft cases on academic work at Dorimon Schools because teachers don’t have interest in working there.

Source :EducationGhana.net

Friday, 1 December 2017

KTI and Islamic SHS in bloody clash at INTERCO leaving 5 Students in Critical Condition

At least five (5) students of the Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi have been wounded Thursday evening after clashes broke out between the students of Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI) and Islamic Senior High School.

Abusua FM’s Osei Kwadwo reported that there was a little misunderstanding between the students at Baba Yara Stadium during the Inter- Schools Competition on Wednesday November 29, 2017.

The angry KTI students the following day stormed the promises of Islamic senior high school and started throwing stones on the players of Islamic Senior High when they arrived in their school leading to five students sustaining injuries.
The students of Islamic Senior High went for cutlasses in the school to protect themselves from KTI students, threatening to storm the KTI campus and retaliate.

It took the timely intervention of the Police to save the situation and calm tempers. The students of KTI who perpetrated the attack are yet to be identified after the incident.
The five (5) affected students of Islamic Senior High are receiving treatment at the First Care Hospital.

Source :EducationGhana

Thursday, 30 November 2017

Compulsory NSS insurance must be reviewed – NASPA

Some National Service Personnel are asking the National Service Scheme (NSS) to reconsider its decision to compulsorily deduct GH¢ 15 from their allowances for an insurance package.

They want the insurance payment to be optional and not mandatory for all service personnel.

Following the launch of the insurance package earlier in November, the Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Ussif Mustapha, in a circular this week, directed all regional directors to deduct GH¢ 15 from the GH¢559 monthly allowances of service personnel beginning this month.

But speaking to Citi News, the NASPA president for Awutu Senya Municipal, Luis Kwame Anane said the decision is arbitrary and must be reviewed.

“Even though it is a congress decision, all the service personnel are against it. I suggest that the outgoing NSS and the necessary stakeholders listen but if they want to face the outrage of personnel of people picketing and refusing to go to work and cause that mayhem before they react, it will be bad because they need to be proactive.”

“Listen to the voice of the people. When you look at accommodation and employment issues of personnel, delay in [payment of] allowances and all that, they should look at policies that that will address these concerns. That is what they should focus on,” he said.

About the NSS Insurance Package

The NSS partnered with MTN and Glico Life Insurance, earlier this week, to launch the life insurance cover for the over 90,000 personnel.

This compulsory insurance package, spearheaded by various insurance companies, is expected to pay claims to service personnel who get involved in accidents in their line of duty.

The claims vary from GH¢ 15,000 in cases of death or incapacitation and GH¢3,000 for cases of disability.

As part of the insurance package, National Service personnel are entitled to a GH¢ 500 loan which is payable within six months.

But some service personnel have kicked against the package, saying that it is being imposed on them. According to them, they were not informed about the package before it was formally launched.

They also expressed disappointment that it was not made optional but compulsory.

Source: Citifmonline

NUGS Commends Govt’s Efforts To Ensuring Quality Education

The National Union of Ghana Students yesterday had their 51st Handing Over ceremony at the Accra International Conference Centre after the 51st Annual Residential Congress held at Methodist University College, Dansoman Campus.
This ceremony saw major stakeholders, alumni and dignitaries attending not forgetting the very students the union seek to serve.

The ceremony saw the likes of the Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Adutwum, the Gender and Social Protection Minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba, the Executive Director of the National Service Scheme, Mustapha Ussif, the CEO of NEIP, Lawyer John Kumah, Justin Kodua of YEA, Director of GETFund, representatives from the Scholarship Secretariat, Students Loan Trust Fund, Information Ministry, Security services, the press corps, alumni of the union, and members from the various institutions and blocs under NUGS under the chairmanship of the CEO of NEIP, Lawyer John Kumah.

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Education Minister together with the Gender and Social Protection Minister charged the union along the same lines: the union must stand for what it stood for and be more vibrant as it was in the past and ensure that the union serves its core mandate to the very people they seek to serve.

The outgoing Secretary, Mr. Akwasi Agyemang also charged New executives to serve the interests of the students they seek to serve and ensure that the right things are done. He added that, the struggle continues but it is up to new executives to live above the struggles and make the union better.

The newly sworn-in President, Mr. Elisha Oheneba Essumang commended Government’s efforts in ensuring that education is accessible to all. He further reiterated that, the union’s core mandate is to ensure that education be a right and not a privilege to help all have access to it and was therefore grateful that the government was committed to ensuring that this is achieved.

He commended the government over their decision to absorb the registration fees of BECE candidates in the Junior High Schools. He further commended the government for their decision to increase the Capitation grant by 100% from the initial 4.50p to 9 cedis as announced by the Finance Minister, Hon. Ken Ofori Atta in the 2018 budget statement.

The union led by the President also commended the Ministry of Education’s ” Basic Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (BSTEM)” program to be introduced in all basic schools which would solve the technological and digital gap between Ghana and the developed states in the near future which they intend to embark on beginning from next year and further welcomed the Ministry’s commencement to review the Basic level Curriculum to emphasize on the 4 R’s (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic and cReativity). Indeed, literacy, numeracy and creativity are the bedrocks of modern education and we cannot survive as a nation without them.

The union further commended the government for the all time best Educational Policy; Free SHS Policy which has not only increased the enrolment of students into the various SHS but also lessened the burden of parents who sometimes had to go for loans and pass through frustrating moments to send their wards to school.

We commend the Ministry of Education for this life saving and enhancing policy and the union supports the call by some concerned citizens and leaders of the nation to challenge philanthropists of Education, donors, corporate bodies, and everyone who can to help fund the Free SHS/ TVET policy and that a realistic percentage of our GDP, 10% of import taxes and about 30-50% of oil revenue be considered to help sustain this great policy.

While keeping our eyes on this outstanding initiative by the government of Ghana to ensure its sustainability and the help deal with the challenges it comes with-there is nothing without challenges especially in its early stages, we as the union that speaks for All students want to also send a note of caution to all saboteurs of this marvellous policy to refrain from such habits.

The students of Ghana and the youth alike will not take it easy with any person or group of persons who would want to belittle, fight or destroy this all- time important policy. Without mincing words, we shall not hesitate to clamp down such enemies and foes of the nation.

The union also commends government’s effort to scrap off the 25% corporate income tax paid by privately owned and managed universities and we call on the stakeholders of the various private universities to drastically reduce their fees to reflect the change. We further commend the restoration of the Nurses and Teacher Training allowances by the government.

Source: Starrfmonline.com