ST THERESA'S COLLEGE HOLDS SECOND CONGREGATION (PAGE 11)

THE President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, has reiterated the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government’s commitment to empower women to advance gender equality in the country.
He said one area of empowerment was to ensure that women gained more interest in the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the pursuit of knowledge in all fields.
President Atta Mills said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Education, Ms Elizabeth Tetteh, during the 2nd congregation of St Teresa’s College of Education (TERESCO) at Hohoe in the Volta Region.
It was on the theme “ ICT in Teacher Education - The Role of the Female Teacher.”
In all, 148 women graduated with Diploma in Basic Education. Four of the graduates had second class upper, while 36 had second class lower and 84 obtained third class , with 18 gaining passes.
Eighteen graduates received awards for their excellent performance. Miss Kafui Kpodo emerged the overall best student.
The President said this was to upturn studies which indicated that female students tended to be less interested in computers, adding that the government was taking crucial steps to ensure the application of ICT at home, the workplace and in the general pursuit of knowledge.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Mrs Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, told the graduates that as they entered the world of work, it was important that they put the knowledge, talent and skills they had acquired to productive use.
Prof. Mrs Opoku Agyeman encouraged them to serve their fellow human beings with humility and respect and let discipline and humility be their watchwords in everything they would be doing wherever they might find themselves.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, welcomed the graduates into the mainstream of society and advised them to be role models always.
The Principal of TERESCO, Mrs Angelina Kutin Tando, told the teachers to live up to the task of lifting up the present standard of education of the child.
She said although the school was striving hard to come out with good results, they were beset with problems like insecurity, uncontrolled noise and defecation and throwing of rubbish on the school compound.
She said apart from this, several cases of assault and near rape of students had come to the notice of the college authorities and since it was a female school, they were appealing to the government to ensure adequate security on the compound.

FOUNDATION ASSISTS COMMUNITIES IN KADJEBI DISTRICT (PAGE 31)

The Stichting Atta, a foundation formed from the twinning of the Kadjebi District of the Volta Region and Alkamade in Holland five years ago, has presented an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system to the Jasikan Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church.
It also recently donated a Mercedes Benz Sprinter 316 Ambulance estimated at about GH¢30,000 to the Mary Theresa Catholic Hospital, which is the only hospital in the district.
In addition, the foundation also provided UPS systems, a generating plant, a photocopy machine, four printers and a stabiliser to the Roman Catholic Social Centre at Kadjebi for the establishment of an information and communication technology (ICT) centre for the district.
The foundation had earlier supplied 40 computers to the centre.
The Vice-President of the foundation, Mr Kofi Adjei Ntim, who is the immediate past Kadjebi District Chief Executive did the presentation on its behalf.
He said other forms of assistance the foundation had provided for the district were the construction of an 80-bed boys’ hostel for the Dodi Papase Secondary Technical School, a six classroom block for the District Authority Primary School at Kadjebi and support for 120 orphans.
The foundation intend to increase the beneficiaries of the package to 170 by the end of the year, Mr Ntim added.
He said the foundation had taken it upon itself to provide an ambulance yearly to a hospital in the country for the next five years.
It has also planned to construct a bridge over the River Asukawkaw at Dodofie to link the community with the rest of the country, especially during the rainy seasons when they were completely cut off.
Mr Ntim asked the youth to patronise the ICT centre, and update their knowledge and broaden their horizon.
On behalf of the Mary Theresa Hospital, the administrator, Mr Stannard Issah Mahama, commended the foundation for donating bus to it said it had solved one of their biggest problems.
He gave the assurance that the hospital would put the bus the to good use.

BE WARY OF FAST SPRINGING MICRO FINANCE INSTITUTIONS (PAGE 39)

TEACHERS have been advised not to withdraw money they have saved with their credit unions.
They have also been cautioned to be wary of the baits being offered them by the fast springing micro finance institutions.
The National Treasurer of the Credit Union Association (CUA), Mr Stephen Quarshie Dzorkpata, who made the call, said they should think seriously about the promises before withdrawing their money from CUA since they were likely to regret later.
Mr Dzorkpata was addressing the ninth annual general meeting of the Hohoe Municipal Teachers’ Co-operative Credit Union Limited (HODTECCU) at Hohoe in the Volta Region.
He said there was no free lunch anywhere so they should rather strengthen their own credit union to provide them with all the assistance they might need to improve their living standards.
According to him, there was a crazy race today for ostentatious living in the face of scarce resources, adding, “this crazy race has led many of us into covetous and nefarious practices which end ignominiously”.
Mr Dzorkpata who is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Volta Regional Chapter of CUA, said the credit union concept had come to salvage teachers from those woes, depending on their ability to study their own environment and make something out of what appears to be nothing.
He stated that the number of credit unions had shot up to 501 nation-wide, 26 of which were in the Volta Region.
Mr Dzorkpata added that, “The total membership of CUA is 276,479 with 14,739 of the members in the Volta Region while total assets nationwide is GH¢135,719,732 and that of the Volta Region is GH¢6,259,550.
The national treasurer, therefore, urged the teachers to be content with their living conditions and brighten the corner where they were.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the HODTECCU, Mr Leonard Apatey said despite the various temptations by the credit unions, their membership continued to rise having gone up from 1,891 in 2007 to 2,353 as of June, 2008.
He said the union’s savings had also grown from GH¢795,711 in 2007 to 981,869.12 as of June, 2008.
He noted with delight that constructional work of a two-storey office complex would soon start on a piece of land near the Prestige Hotel in Hohoe to make it more accessible to members.

HO DOME CIRCUIT WINS SCIENCEW, MATHS QUIZ (JUNIOR GRAPHIC , PAGE 3)

The Ho Dome Circuit in the Ho Municipality emerged winners when it beat Avatime “B” Circuit by 98 points to 78 in the final of the maiden Science and Mathematics Quiz held in Ho in the Volta Region last Thursday.
The quiz was sponsored by some individuals and institutions and organised by the Ho Municipal Education Office. It attracted 22 circuits and involved 66 students in the preliminaries, with three students representing each circuit.
The Ho Dome Circuit, which was represented by an all-girl team, overrun the Sokode, Takla, Ho-Housing and Kpedze circuits.
For their prizes, each circuit received a certificate, cash, science and mathematics books. In addition, the Ho Dome Circuit took away three trophies instituted in memory of Togbe Pii Bansah, the late Chief of Ahoe, a suburb of Ho.
In her closing address, the Guest of Honour, Ms Rosemond Keteku, a former Ho Municipal Director of Education and now the Adenta Municipal Director of Education, said the achievement of the girls should rekindle girls’ interest in the pursuit of science and maths.
She said it was also a credit to the Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME) Clinics which had been held for girls and was recently widened to include boys.
The Ho Municipal Director of Education, Mr Emmanuel Ketteku, said apart from whipping up interest in the two subjects, the quiz would also be a unifying force among the students in the municipality.

RAINSTROM CAUSES HAVOC IN JASIKAN DISTRICT (PAGE 22)

MORE than 100 houses in the Jasikan District of the Volta Region were destroyed by a rainstorm that hit the area last week.
The most seriously affected communities are Jasikan and Kute, where over 1,000 people were rendered homeless and are now putting up with some good Samaritans in the nearby communities.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Buem, Mr Henry Ford Kamel, also a deputy Minister of Forestry and National Resources, visited the affected people and expressed his sympathy for them.
He observed that the rapid destruction of forests, through illegal felling of trees and beautifiers, had exposed the area to natural disasters such as windstorms.
Mr Kamel, therefore, called on the people to check the illegal felling of trees to avert any disasters of such destructive nature.
He also advised them to plant trees in the depleted forests.
Mr Kamel gave the assurance that the government would help rehabilitate public buildings affected by the storm.
He, therefore, urged the Jasikan District Assembly and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to assist individuals affected by the disaster to repair their buildings.
The Assembly Member for Kute, Mr Lawrence Tsyawo, said the rainstorm was the severest in living memory, but thanked God that there was no casualty.
In a related development, about 500 people have been rendered homeless following a severe rainstorm that hit Goviefe Todzi in the Hohoe Municipality.
According to the chief of the town, Togbe Sakrafo Adanu X, even though there was no casualty, a number of buildings, including the local junior high and primary school blocks were damaged.

RAINSTORM DESTROYS 100 HOUSES AT JASIKAN (PAGE 54)

A severe rainstorm hit the Jasikan District in the Volta Region last week, destroying more than 100 houses and displacing about 1,000 people.
The impact of the rainstorm was mostly felt in Jasikan and Kute where the displaced people are now seeking shelter with relatives and some good Samaritans in nearby communities.
The Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency and Deputy Minister of Lands and Forestry, Mr Henry Ford Kamel, has paid a visit to the towns to sympathise with the affected people.
He observed that the rapid destruction of the forest through illegal felling of trees and bushfires had exposed the area to disasters during wind and rainstorms.
He, therefore, called on the people to check the illegal felling of trees to avert any further disasters.
Mr Kamel advised them to plant trees to regain the vegetative cover in the area and protect their communities against similar occurences in future.
The Assembly Member for Kute, Mr Lawrence Tsyawo, said the rainstorm was the severest that the people could recall but thanked God that there was no casualty.
In a separate incident, more than 500 people have also been rendered homeless following a severe rainstorm that hit Goviefe Todzi in the Hohoe Municipality. According to the Chief of the town, Togbe Sakrafo Adanu X, there was no casualty. Other buildings effected included the junior high and primary schools in the town.

SIX DIE IN ACCIDENT AT AKPAFU MEMPEASEM (PAGE 40)

SIX persons died, four instantly and the others later on admission at the Hohoe Municipal Hospital when the vehicle, Mercedes Benz 207 bus with registration number GR 6875-09 on which they were travelling, collided head on with another Mercedes Benz 207 bus at Akpafu Mempeasem, near Hohoe in the Volta Region last Friday.
The deceased persons were among mourners who were enroute to Bowiri Amanfrom in the Jasikan District for the burial of the late Mr Adolf Odeifuor, a senior storekeeper at the Burma Camp.
The corpse of Mr Odeifour was being conveyed to his hometown, which was about 10 minutes drive from the accident spot.
The two drivers, Ette Kuddoh and Emmanuel Adzovie together with Joyce Agyapong and Madam Hasaitu Basharu died instantly while Mahama Bashuru and Simon Fred Atsu died later on admission at the hospital.
According to a police source at Hohoe, the Benz bus, driven by Ette Kuddoh was carrying friends and relatives of the deceased from Accra for the funeral while the other bus belonging to the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GIRT), was returning to Hohoe from Kadjebi with 19 passengers on board.
The source said as the bus driven by Kuddoh carrying the relatives and sympathisers of the deceased was speeding, it veered off its lane in an attempt to dodge a pothole and collided head on with the other bus from Kadjebi at about 5.30 p.m. in the outskirts of Akpafu Mempeasem.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue of the Hohoe Municipal Hospital for autopsy while those who sustained various degrees of injury are on admission at the same hospital responding to treatment.
Meanwhile, the police are conducting investigations into the matter.