There have been mixed reactions among parents and guardians of first-year students at Senior High School (SHS) regarding the directive by the Ministry of Education ( MoE) for reporting of first year SHS students to school. While some parents support the directive, others insist that the reporting date was impromptu, making it difficult for them to adequately provide needed items on their prospectus for their children and wards to go to school. A visit to the Bolgatanga market by the Ghana News Agency revealed that most parents and guardians were still busy purchasing items for their children and wards and were uncertain when they would report to school. Madam Alice Ayinga, a parent, told the GNA that the insistence by the Ministry of Education for the students to report immediately would put a lot of financial burden on her family, given the circumstances. She stated that, 'When your child writes BECE, it is your hope that he or she gets school to go, but in the current circumstances, I am unprepared fin ancially to provide her with the necessary stuff she needs for school, and that is because I taught while placement is done; it would take like two weeks so that we can prepare. 'With this directive by the Ministry of Education, there is going to be a lot of financial burden on me and my family because what it means is that we are going to spend the little we are surviving on to meet requirements of my daughter and I think this is unfair,' she added. Mr Samson Adongo, a parent however, was of the view that parents had enough time to prepare, given that they were aware that irrespective of the grade their children may get, there was the possibility of them going to school. He stated that, 'Yes, I understand the plight of parents, but the fact is that even if you give some parents one whole year to prepare, they would still need more time, and that is simply because we are not time conscious as people, so the moment the system begins to work, then we have a problem. 'In fact, all of us knew that with an agg regate of 40 or more, our wards would still get placement, and instead of us preparing, we wanted the reality to dawn on us, then we start to complain,' he stressed. Madam Lariba Issah, a parent, asserted that the directive by the MoE for the students to report immediately was nothing but a deliberate attempt to burden parents. According to her, 'it does not make sense for the students to report this same month and return two weeks later in the same month for Christmas; what would they learn in this short period that it has become so necessary?' So, it is a deliberate attempt to burden us'. Master Zutere Ismael, a first-year student yet to report to Navrongo Senior High School, told the Ghana News Agency that he was eager to report to school given that her parents were able to get his stuff on time, adding that he had obtained his admission online and was only waiting for his prospectus to report. Source: Ghana News Agency Kakamega, Kenya - The Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) is preparing to establish a new regional research center in Kakamega County, aimed at serving the Western Region of Kenya. This development is part of a broader initiative to enhance fisheries and marine research in the area.
According to Kenya News Agency, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Cooperatives, the Kakamega County Government is actively supporting this project. The county is currently in discussions with KMFRI to facilitate the establishment of the institute and has committed to providing land for the construction of the facility.
Andama stated that the center's construction and operational roles will be undertaken by KMFRI, while the county government's contribution will be the allocation of land. The project has garnered substantial support from the World Bank, extending its reach to other regions as part of the Blue Economy program.
A recent visit to KMFRI's offices in Mombasa for benchmarking purposes and discussions with the institution's officials, including CEO James Njiru, was highlighted by Andama. The planned facility will include a fish feed processing plant, fingerlings production, and an aquaculture laboratory.
Additionally, the CECM mentioned that capacity building for local farmers and assistance in connecting them to markets are integral parts of the project. This initiative aligns with Kakamega County's ongoing efforts to promote the blue economy, particularly through the enhancement of fish farming in the region.