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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Overhaul education system, introduce O&A level – Charismatic Bishops

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The Ghana Charismatic Bishops’ Conference has made a number of calls on government including banning the importation of chicken, building good roads, overhaul educational system as well as use the army to fight armed robbery.

The Bishops in a communique signed by its General Secretary, Rev. Kwesi Deh, stated how government should go to achieve their stated suggestions. 

Regarding importation of poultry, they want government to come up with treaties and agreements that prevent importers from importing unhealthy chicken.

“Set up a commission to investigate the quality of chicken that is coming to the nation. Just as European countries ban the importation of our products based on quality, ban imported chicken based on quality.

According to them, the JHS and SHS educational system is an inferior form of education because many politicians and well-to-do Ghanaians do not subject their children to the current JHS and SHS system.

“Instead, they take their children to schools that do ‘O’ Level and ‘A’ Level because they can afford to. If JHS and SHS were not an inferior form of education, why do they take their children out of it when they have the money to do so?” they said.

The Bishops said if armed robbery is not dealt with, the nation will be filled with armed individuals and increasingly become a more dangerous place to live in. 

Below is a full copy of the communique:

On the 60th Anniversary of Ghana’s Independence, we congratulate the nation and we congratulate the government for being in place, and being a stable democracy. We also congratulate the outgone government for their role in a peaceful and smooth transition.

We have, at this time, a prophetic message to the President, the Vice President, the Cabinet, the Members of Parliament, as well as to all the unseen and unknown leaders of our motherland, Ghana. We are aware of your hard work and great inputs over the years to build our nation.

The Ghana Charismatic Bishops’ Conference congratulates the government on its hard work and many achievements. It is our humble plea that you will, please, take heed to this brief communique from the Ghana Charismatic Bishops’ Conference:

Isaiah 43.19: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

The Lord’s prophetic word to Ghana on this jubilee is to do new things for the country. Solve our old problems in a new way, because God wants to do a new thing in the nation Ghana.

Our prophetic message to the government and leadership of our nation is that “it is time to govern and lead our nation in a new way! The old ways have been tried and tested for sixty years. It is clear that the old ways are not working.”

At this time, we the Ghana Charismatic Bishops’ Conference, are making this humble proposition on four areas (indeed, we have prophecies on other areas, but are restricting ourselves at this time to four).

We humbly plead with the powerful elected leadership of our nation to hearken to the voice of prophecy that we bring.

COVER GHANA WITH GOOD ROADS BY BUILDING THE ROADS OF GHANA IN A PRACTICAL WAY:
Why:

a. After 60 years, if Ghana does not have three lanes to and from Kumasi or from Accra to Cape Coast, then the way of thinking, planning, managing, financing and creating roads is flawed. Many of the roads in Accra are sandy roads, not befitting a capital city after 60 years of managing our own affairs. Indeed, we have run out of excuses as to why the roads are not done!

b. Sitting in Ghana expecting to receive loans from the white man is a fatally deficient form of wisdom.

c. Europe, China, and America have little to offer us in terms of financing the building of our road network. They are busy with their own problems. It should be obvious after 60 years of managing our own affairs.

d. It is not acceptable after 60 years, that cars speed on our highways in opposite directions, missing each other by a few centimetres. There should be two or three lanes on either side with an island in between, so that head- on collisions are a thing of the past.

How Shall We Do This:

a. Build the road network by using concrete roads. 10 inches of concrete can be cast, with the width of 3 lanes (12 meters wide), for several miles.
The Tema motorway is an example of a concrete road that has served Ghana for decades.

b. Finance the building of Ghanaian roads and highways with a network of tollbooths.

c. Let Ghanaian roads be covered with multiple international-standard tollbooths that do not cause traffic. These tollbooths will be used to directly finance roads. Perhaps, every 40 to 50km should have a tollbooth.

d. Name a tollbooth by the stretch of road that it is to finance. For instance, several toll booths can be created on the Accra – Kumasi Highway as follows: a
Achimota – Nsawam toll booth (approx. 28.2km);
■      Nsawam – Suhum toll booth (approx. 30km);

■      Suhum – Nkawkaw toll booth (approx. 77km);

■      Nkawkaw -Konongo toll booth (81.4km);

■      Konongo to Tech Junction toll booth (77km).

e. Demonstrate a competent management of the tolls received from the different tollbooths. We have had toll booths like the Tema, Beposo and Weija toll booths. When people see the tolls well-managed, they will be prepared to pay even more.

f. Raise the tolls, at least to the level of USD1 per car. Even Zimbabwe, in its financial difficulty, charges $1 per car as toll rate.

g. Create an office and let the local dwellers cast the concrete: Use the people that live in the towns and villages, along that stretch of road, to cast concrete along that stretch.

h. Do not allow any percentage of the toll to go to any central fund. The tolls must be dedicated 100% to the building and managing of that stretch of road.

i. Cement, sand and stones are available: Cement, together with sand and stones from those areas, can be used to build the roads in any designated stretch.

j. Ordinary people can build the concrete roads, as it does not require a large asphalt plant.

k. No need for foreign contractors: If these concrete roads are accepted, there will be no need for foreign contractors and the importation of asphalt at huge costs. There is no need, any longer, for loans.

ALLOW O’ LEVEL AND ‘A’ LEVEL EDUCATION TO BE RE­INTRODUCED FOR THE COMMON CITIZEN, SO THAT A GOOD/INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION IS NOT THE PRESERVE OF THE RICH.
Why:

‘O’ and ‘A’ level education are better than what we currently have. Ghana has been subjected to an inferior form of education through the JHS and SHS for many years.

We call the JHS and SHS educational system an inferior form of education because many politicians and well-to-do Ghanaians do not subject their children to the current JHS and SHS system.

Instead, they take their children to schools that do ‘O’ Level and ‘A’ Level because they can afford to. If JHS and SHS was not an inferior form of education, why do they take their children out of it when they have the money to do so?

We call the JHS and SHS an inferior form of education because the quality of the products of the schools and the universities today, leaves much to be desired. Any employer today knows that there are many of our graduates who cannot even read and write English properly.

We call the JHS and SHS an inferior form of education because prestigious schools in Ghana (like Wesley Girls’ High School) do their own entrance examination to screen their students. Why would they do another screening examination if the JHS results could be trusted? It is obvious that even the secondary schools do not trust the JHS system.

We call the JHS and SHS an inferior form of education because universities do their own entrance examination to screen their students. Why do the Medical schools do another examination after the SHS results? Under the old system, the ‘A’ level results were accepted as the basis for entrance into the university. It is obvious that the universities do not trust the SHS system and that is why they do an entrance examination for medical school.

We call the JHS and SHS an inferior form of education because international universities require our SHS graduates to do a foundational course for a whole year before admitting them to the university proper. Years ago, graduates from secondary schools in Ghana did not have to do such foundational courses because they already had a good foundation.

We call the JHS and SHS an inferior form of education because of the quality of the examinations which they write.

We call the JHS and SHS an inferior form of education because we have reason to doubt the current ability of the WAEC to conduct credible examinations. It is common knowledge that the examinations are flawed with serious leakages, such that many students today do not know how to study, unless they have seen leaked papers.

The government should create an educational system that all Ghanaians will be happy to use. Internationally accepted ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level examinations were not special things in Ghana, and were done everywhere including, Swedru, Bolgatanga, Breman-Asikuma and Half-Assini.

It should not be, that politicians create an inferior educational system but send their children to GIS, TIS, and SOS to be trained. After 60 years, it should not be that ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level examinations are done only by the richest Ghanaians and politicians in power, whilst the rest of the nation’s children are subject to an inferior education that leaves them poorly trained.

If the current education was not sub-standard, politicians would not have to pay about GHS80,000 a year to put their children in schools such as GIS, SOS, and TIS just to do ‘O’ Levels, and then send them abroad to universities.

We therefore urge the government to re-introduce ‘O’ and ‘A’ level to ordinary schools.

How Shall We Do This:

Change the JHS and SHS syllabus to be similar or identical with ‘O’ and ‘A’ level subjects.
Let the teachers of JHS and SHS upgrade their skills to teach this new syllabus. With little effort, all JHS and SHS teachers will be able to teach ‘O’ and ‘A’ level syllabus. Ordinary teachers in Ghana were teaching ‘O’ level and ‘A’ level syllabus before.

Allow the JHS to end in ‘O’ level examination and the SHS to end in ‘A’ level examination.
Allow every school to choose its examination council, whether WAEC or IGCSE. The competition will cause the West Africa Examinations Council to upgrade, so that the leakages that have undermined the credibility of JHS and SHS examinations will cease. It is common knowledge that examinations by the West African Examinations Council are flawed by massive leakages that have severely damaged the credibility of the educational system.

Schools who choose the international examination council and certificates will obviously pay more.
If the steps above are taken many more Ghanaians will have a good/international education.
If the steps above are taken, Ghana’s universities will have a greater credibility and higher standards. Then, many countries in Africa will send their children to Ghana to be educated, and education will become a great source of income to Ghana, just as it is for England.

TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO ALLOW POULTRY FARMING TO FLOURISH AGAIN IN GHANA.
Why:

Let us have the wisdom to come out of agreements that have wiped out farming in Ghana. Ghana has regressed under these agreements, and become poorer with more unemployment and very little industrial activity.

Well-known farms, not to mention names, have been wiped out before our eyes and made incapable of producing poultry for consumption in the country. It does not make sense to have poultry farms any longer because a locally grown chicken is sold for GHS 40, while the imported ones are sold for GHS15.

How can you claim to emphasize on agriculture or to provide a factory for every district when existing factories and farms that have been tried and tested before, cannot function because of government policies?

Ghana cannot compete with super giants like China and Europe. We cannot let a poor and undeveloped country, with an undeveloped agricultural and industrial sector compete with super industrial and agricultural giants. 60 years of being subject, in a wholesale fashion to globalization and free trade agreements, have only wiped out poultry farming and industry, and made Ghana unable to feed itself.

The chickens that are imported, are loaded with growth hormones causing many medical problems. For instance, the young girls now start having their menstrual periods from as young as 9 years.

No matter the reasons and excuses given by experts, economists and specialists of global trade, we feel that common sense and common logic should be applied to the problems which we are facing after 60 years. Ghana has run out of excuses for why it cannot feed itself and grow its own chicken.

Ban the importation of chicken. Come out of treaties and agreements that make us have to import unhealthy chicken.
Set up a commission to investigate the quality of chicken that is coming to the nation. Just as European countries ban the importation of our products based on quality, ban imported chicken based on quality.

Inform our European partners that when our commission has finished its investigations we will be able to consider the importation of these products.

Notice how Donald Trump came out of agreements on the first day of office because it is not in the interest of America. Notice how Britain comes out of agreements with the EU because some people feel that it is not in the interest of British business.
Encourage local farmers to re-start poultry farming.

Perhaps one million Ghanaians will find employment through chicken farming. Perhaps, armed robbery will go down because many more of the youth will have work to do.
Do not allow the interest of a few people who import chicken to destroy the livelihood of thousands of Ghanaians!

USE THE GHANA ARMED FORCES TO WIPE OUT ARMED-ROBBERY FROM OUR NATION
Why:

The Ghana Armed Forces exist to protect and defend the citizens of Ghana from aggression, from invasion, from attacks and from enemies.

If our nation cannot deal with armed robbery, how would we deal with the very serious threat of terrorism if it were to come to Ghana?

If armed robbery is not dealt with, the nation will be filled with armed individuals and increasingly become a more dangerous place to live in.

How can students be rounded up in their room and be robbed on a regular basis in our universities? How can armed robbers enter hotel rooms in Obuasi, Koforidua, Accra and many other towns and rob and murder the clients? Ghana was never like this! We have real stories of these incidents.

Ghana has been known as a peaceful nation, in which people freely went out at night and felt safe on the roads wherever they were. After 60 years that has changed. There are numerous incidents of robberies and rapes across the nation. We even know of a denomination that has had two of its pastors murdered in their homes in Accra and Kumasi by armed robbers.

Armed robbery and the lack of safety are driving away tourists, investors and visitors to our nation.

Today we are not faced with an invasion of Ghana by a foreign country, but we are faced with the invasion of the country by armed men within, who have attacked, raped, harassed, and murdered many people across the country.

There is no region of Ghana that is safe from armed robbery. Students in universities cannot walk freely on campuses. Student hostels are routinely attacked on campuses.

What is the use of an army if people do not feel safe in their own country? Why are we maintaining such an institution with tax payers money if it is not benefiting the nation? 

Let us be practical! It is not just the duty of the police. It is the duty of all Ghanaians including the Army, the Air Force and the Navy to ensure that Ghana is a safe place again.

As other nations become unstable, all sorts of people will migrate to Ghana to find stability so we can never tell who is coming next. k. Be real! Be practical! If the government really cares about Ghana, it should deploy the Forces to make Ghana a safe place again.

How can we do this?

Release your helicopters, army vehicles, superior military equipment and the highly trained officers of the Ghana Armed forces to be involved with wiping out armed robbery.

Use the intelligence community and the secret service to hunt for criminals.

Put out wanted lists with pictures so that such people are apprehended.

Give rewards to people who provide information on or turn in armed robbers.

Provide telephone lines for people to report armed robbers.

Go to well-known havens of armed robbery and snuff out the further breeding of armed robbers.

Wipe out armed robbery from the highways. After 60 years of managing our own affairs, it should not be that buses need escorts to travel on certain roads during the day or at night.

Do Not Scoff at This Wisdom

Anyone may scoff at these prophecies as is typical of those who do not think deeply. However, you will notice the characteristics of this wisdom:

The wisdom of this communique does not require loans from any one. It does not require our nation to go deeper into debt. Our nation is already up to its neck in debts.

The wisdom of this communique does not require foreign intervention or consultants.

The wisdom of this communique presents a practical and real alternative to the systems and methods that have consistently failed us for 60 years.

The wisdom of this communique is for the Ghanaian government that has run out of excuses and people to blame for its obvious failures. Why don’t we do something new, as these prophetic words are directing?

We thank the good people in our government for taking the time to consider the prophecies, the concerns, the wisdom and the words of this brief treatise.

 

 

 

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