Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader in Parliament, has called on citizens to desist from politics of insults and engage in positive debates to ensure peace in the lead-up to Election 2024. He said citizens should pay attention to the promises and policies proposed by the various political parties and make decisions in the best interest of the development of the country. 'It is not about the insults; it is not about the name calling and it is not about the extremist views. It is about the future of our country,' he noted. Mr Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu in the Central Region, made the call at the 84th Anniversary and Speech and Prize Giving Day of the Aggrey Memorial A.M.E Zion Senior High School. The anniversary, sponsored by the 1999-year group of the Aggrey Memorial Old Students Association (AMOSA '99) was on the theme: 'Developing Character for a New Ghana: The Responsibility of all Stakeholders in Education.' Mr Afenyo-Markin cautioned Ghanai ans not to be misled by the heated squabbles they sometimes witnessed on the floor of Parliament, indicating that about 99 per cent of the issues were agreed upon by consensus. 'MPs don't fight in Parliament,' he stressed. The Majority Leader rallied all stakeholders, including teachers, parents and policymakers, to nurture and support the youth as they grew into the future leaders of the country. 'As we look towards developing a new Ghana, let's remember that the strength of our nation lies not just in the wealth of our resources but also in the character of our people,' he said. 'In the Ghana that we desire, we aim to thrive not just economically, but become a beacon of integrity, resilience and unity and the role of education is very paramount.' Narrating how he stood resilient in his political life experiences; the MP urged the students never to give up if they were to succeed in life, saying, the lessons learnt both inside and outside of the classroom would shape the future of the nation. Mr Afenyo -Markin encouraged parents to make time and pay close attention to their children's development and life challenges including depression. Rev. Dr Emmanuel Donkoh, the Rector of the Christian Leadership University and leader of the Abundant Life Bible Church, urged citizens to prioritise honesty and integrity in their personal lives for development. 'As we look towards the future of our nation, let us affirm our recommitment to upholding the virtues of integrity, honesty, forgiveness, perseverance and humility and impart these virtues to the next generation,' he said. The highly patronised ceremony was spiced up with cultural displays and fascinating drills by the school's cadet. The event also saw Madam Kate Annan-Wilberforce, the Headmistress, handing over the headship to Madam Dorothy Adentwi Hayford as the new head of the school. The outgoing Headmistress touted the achievements within her four-year tenure against all the odds. She said the school had financial and other challenges including dilapida ted structures when she took over, but with the support of her management team, teachers, old students and other stakeholders, she was able to institute measures to turn its fortunes around. She created a synergy with her management team to change the atmosphere of the school to a more disciplined academic one. Again, with support from some old students, the school was able to acquire 27 projectors and rewiring of the various classroom blocks to enhance academic work. Madam Annan-Wilberforce said the school was working to add entrepreneurship as part of its subjects and touted the good grades they had achieved in WASSCE over the years. She commended all groups and individuals for lending her their support and urged them to give the same support to her successor. At the end of the programme, Amosa '99 handed over the mantle of sponsorship and development of the school to Amosa 2000. Many students were honoured for distinguishing themselves in various fields of academics. Source: Ghana News Agency Since the roll-out of the school feeding program by the county government of Busia, class enrollment for Early Child Development Education (ECDE) has increased by 25% with parents now opting to take underage to school to enjoy a meal. Before the interception of the program, the regular class enrolment stood at 40,000 across 460 public ECDE learning institutions in the county and the number has now risen to over 53,000 within one month since the program was launched. Education stakeholders in various institutions who spoke to KNA while on spot-check have praised the program as they committed their support toward the program. Peter Iganga the head teacher at Mujuru primary school applauded the county government for the intervention owing to the high poverty index in the county had pushed most pupils to stay away from class as they could not withstand staying in class for 6 hours on an empty stomach. 'This program has helped to improve learner's retention rate and enrollment giving teachers an easy task w hen it comes to syllabus coverage,' Iganga noted. 'The feeding program doubled the class attendance here at school with learners expressing a lot of enthusiasm and positivity in their school work,' he added. His sentiments were echoed by Antony Ogutu the school head Igero Primary School who noted that the level of absenteeism has greatly dropped which is a positive gesture on learners' performance in class. 'ECDE learners are very emotional and not easy to handle, but since the programme was launched by the governor one month ago, we have experienced happy class interaction with most learners feeling happy during school days as opposed to when they are going back at home,' Ogutu said. However, they have implored the county government of Busia to supply enough beans that cover the whole term for the smooth running of the programme. The health and nutrition of school-age children (5-9 years of age; referred to as middle childhood) receive less attention than that of younger children or adolescents. However , this life stage is critical for learning and intellectual development as well as for shaping attitudes, behaviours, and practices. An integrated package of essential health and nutrition services implemented through schools is a key investment in better futures for children and their communities The ECDE teachers who spoke to the press commended the program noting that it has given them an easy time to focus on molding pupils in their early development for their brighter days ahead in school. 'Dealing with a happy lot of learners gives you joy as a teacher, it reduces a lot of time we waste on stress management of pupils before we embark on class session, we can project better performance among our learners should the program continue,' said Ann Wangeci, ECDE teacher at Mujuru. Janet Namale another ECDE teacher at Burumba said with reduced levels of absenteeism, teachers are now able to bond with learners giving them enough time to understand the abilities of different learners as recommended by CBC. 'W hen teachers get enough time to bond with learners, they understand their abilities and weaknesses earlier making it easy for them to handle them appropriately,' said Madam Namale. Speaking during the launch of the school feeding programme, Busia Governor, Dr.Paul Otuoma stated the move is to fight stunted growth among young children because of malnutrition. 'This feeding program aims at addressing stunted growth among children in Busia which stands at 15% according to UNICEF report of 2023,' Governor Otuma said. 'With a population of over 50,000 learners, this program aims at improving nutrition level among school-going children, boosting the enrollment level across all schools,' the governor emphasized. Parents were urged by both the county and school administrations to embrace the programs for their success. The county government of Busia has invested 33 million in the school feeding program. Source: Kenya News Agency
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