The irony of life is sometimes the fact that those 'who had their palm kernel cracked by their chi' make it impossible for others to even have access to palm kernels even if they would have to crack them with their teeth. Ghana's educational system had been one of the most liberal since independence. The great Osagyefo saw formal education as the key to developing a confident people and a proud nation. Educational policies and programmes were universal even though they were not universally accessible because of the absence of infrastructure in many rural and distant communities in this country.
The Missionaries, in their mission of 'catching them young' had penetrated many communities particularly the cities, towns, urban communities and some villages and established schools, predominantly Primary Schools. Middle Schools as at the time were few, serving a cluster of communities at a time. Existing Secondary Schools were primarily Mission Schools. The Osagyefo increased both Primary and Middle Schools across the country in addition to the establishment of scores of Secondary Schools as well as Teacher Training Colleges. This is a well -known history, I should not bore my readers with.
Even though education throughout to the Secondary Schools were not entirely free as has been put out there over the years, with the exception of an affirmative action by the government to offer free education for the northern part of the country, there were conscious efforts to make it much more easier for the critical middle level manpower training needs of the nation to be developed. More schools required more teachers just as more health facilities required more health workers, at least, the supporting staff.
My generation and the generations before me made it possible for the poor to have post- Middle School education in the educational and the health sectors. Holders of Middle School Leaving Certificates wrote a Teacher Training College Entrance Exams and once they passed, they were offered admissions and the rest fell on the state. The same happened to those who were trained as Nurses then. The truth however is that overtime, entry qualifications into the above discussed training institutions have changed because of changing needs and situations that may be difficult for the state to offer such freebies to the trainees as existed years back. No debate.
However, if in our quest to cut down on government finances to these institutions, we make it extremely difficult for the younger ones to acquire middle level skills so much needed in our daily lives, we would be shutting the doors to the majority of the poor, particularly in these difficult times; then this nation is treading on dangerous paths towards self- destruction. Just look at the fees below for new entrants this academic year to Nursing and Teacher Training Institutions.
NURSING COLLEGE FEE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION FEE
- Library 45.00 Registration 180.00
- General Maintenance 70.00 Academic/Training 313.00
- Computer Maintenance 60.00 Residence 108.00
- Course Registration 30.00 TEXT BOOKS
- Sports/ Entertainment 30.00 Maths 1&2 11.60
- Field/Clinical Assessment 80.00 African Writers Series 40.00
- Educational Visits 30.00 ICT 25.00
- Semester Exams 50.00 Window of Hope Training Manual 5.80
- Feeding (Semester) 600.00 1992 Constitution of Ghana 8.00
- Utilities 200.00 College Hymnal 8.00
- User Fees 80.00 Internet Fee 30.00
- Development Levy 170.00 Endowment Fee (Demonstration Sch) 20.00
- University Affiliation 100.00 Generator/Mower maintenance/fee 20.00
- Programme AccreditationChaplaincy 20.00
(NMC) 50.00 Clinic Maintenance 20.00
- Accommodation 100.00 Uniforms 250.00
- SRC Dues 30.00 House Jerseys 29.00
- Transport for Commuting 60.00 Track Suit 58.00
- NAB Accreditation 50.00 Cardigan/Vest 48.00
- Admission Fees 80.00 Feeding Fees (to be refunded by Govt.) 504.00
- Matriculation 50.00 There are books recommended for purchase
- Handbook 20.00 DLM's Manual for Trainees, Trends in Education
- Student ID/ Name Tag 30.00 Syllabus for Primary/ JHS etc
- Indexing 40.00 Hall dues 100.00
- NMC Clinical Study Book 15.00 SRC Dues 15.00
- Logistics Support 500.00 College Field Levy 50.00
- Bond Form 10.00 2 Domestic wares (Females) 90.00
- NMC Rules/Regulations 20.00 Exams Registration Fee to UCC 300.00
- Cohetti Project 30.00
- Special Project Levy 30.00
- Text Books 445.00
- Uniforms 320.00
- House Dress 170.00
- Medical Exams 100.00
- Clinical Items 130.00
35.Hepatitis B Screening/Dosage 100.00
- Track Suit 70.00
TOTAL GHC3995.00 GHC2293.40
The fees above are exclusive of the items parents are to buy for the students for their personal use in school. How many parents can afford these in addition to responsibilities towards other children. The poor are being shut out of education particularly the middle level professions.
ATTENTION: NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY
Below is published unedited:
From Operations 1 Million Votes In The Ashanti Region. All NDC Members Should Observe The Following: It is clear that the Electoral Commission will do new voters register for next year's elections, and as a team we need to redraw our plans by doing everything possible to get the one million vote.
- The NPP is doing everything possible to get the new voter register because they knew where we got over 878,140 votes for the President during 2012 and this was confirmed during the bye election held last month so let all of us come together as a party and work hard.
- No NDC member should panic over the new voters register because the people who appeared on the voters register will still go and register by USING THEIR CURRENT ID CARD WHICH MEANS THE SAME PEOPLE WILL GO AND REGISTER AGAIN unless the NPP realizes this and finds solution to it. So there is hope for more operations.
- From today 3rdAugust up to April next year when the EC will start the registration, every NDC member should try to register not less than 500 people or youth at the ages of 16 going for birth certificate but on the certificate it should be 18 across the country, it can be used during registration. Do it before schools reopen. THE NEC HAS PROMISED TO AWARD ANYONE WHO CAN REGISTER 500 YOUTH WITH 5000 GHANA CEDIS. PLEASE THIS INFORMATION IS SERIOUS DON'T GIVE IT OUT TO ANYONE NOT EVEN THE ASHANTI REGIONAL MINISTER. JM 2016.
The above unedited information from the NDC to their foot soldiers is a loud and clear sign of what the NDC is doing. In 2012, when the NHIA began issuing free NHIS cards freely to the so-called poor people, we did not question or follow up to monitor their intentions. They ended up issuing the NHIA cards to unqualified people who had their names in the register and voted eventually.
Once again, they have for an unexplained reasons, started issuing out Birth Certificates to people who may not be qualified to register to use the Birth Certificates as an acceptable IDs to get their names on the register for 2016 as per the message above. We are aware of what is going on and yet we are quiet, not challenging the unusual but curious magnanimity of the BIRTH AND DEATH REGISTRY for all of a sudden waking up to do what I am not sure is an obligated responsibility. And even if it is, why now? Is it not so easy to get the Death and Birth Registry to station their staff across the borders to issue out Birth Certificates to foreigners who would cross into Ghana and register when fresh registration for election 2016 opens?
These are part of the tricks the NDC uses to steal the elections from us, when they begin, we do not care until they have achieved their aim. Why would they not; because instead of reading their minds and building up our own strategies, we dissipate our energies and times on needless internal bickering and what seems to be a deliberate effort by some party leaders to see us in opposition come 2016. This I believe is the tip of the iceberg of planned rigging beginning from the registration. We can afford to engage in useless internal bickering to instead of keeping our eyes on the opponents. We will have no one to blame the next time.
This is information I gathered from Daavi's kiosk when I took my three shots and bought two shots for the informant.
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By Kwesi Biney