Assembly freezes fees in the Cape Coast Municipality
Oguaa schools demand one million deposit…Assembly investigates
Let’s forgive and forget – EGLE
Top NDC men scramble for banks’ assets
8th Dec. 2000 is Election Day
Both the Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times give prominence to the reportedly exorbitant fees being charged by schools in Cape Coast in the Central Region.
Daily Graphic
Assembly freezes fees in the Cape Coast Municipality
The Daily Graphic reports in its top story that the Cape Coast Municipal Assembly has placed a temporary freeze on all "unapproved" fees being charged this academic year by some elite senior secondary schools in the municipality.
The Graphic says that the assembly has consequently, set up a committee of enquiry into what it described as the "illegal and outrageous" fees. The committee, which begins work today, will comprise officials of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Regional Police Command and members of the assembly’s social services sub-committee. It will also examine, among other issues, how much the schools used illegal fees collected in the past.
The paper names the schools to be investigated as Mfantsipim School, Adisadel College, St. Augustine’s College, Wesley Girls’ High School, Holy Child School and Ghana National College. The Graphic quotes the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Percy Ashon, as saying at a news conference in Cape Coast that fees being charged by the schools are unrealistic.
He is said to have explained that the schools have all along failed to consult the assembly to discuss new fees for ratification as required by law. "Such unilateral imposition of fees by the schools cannot be tolerated", he is quoted as saying.
GRi../
Oguaa schools demand one million deposit…Assembly investigates
In its account, the Ghanaian Times reports that majority of schools in Cape Coast are known to be charging between one million cedis and 1.3 million cedis deposits for Senior Secondary School One students.
The Times says that the Cape Coast Municipal Assembly, concerned about the situation, has set up a committee, chaired by Mr George Christian, chairman of the assembly’s social services committee, to investigate and advise it (assembly) on the high school fees being charged by some public senior secondary schools within the municipality and how such fees are used.
The paper says that the assembly has described as "outrageous and unacceptable" the fees, which parents are expected to pay within very short deadlines. The assembly, the Times says, insists that the fees are illegal because it has not authorised the schools to charge any such huge amounts.
As an interim measure to relieve parents and guardians of the burden, the assembly is said to have directed all heads of schools within its jurisdiction, to charge only the government approved fees, which cover boarding and lodging and others, all amounting to between 400,000 cedis and 500,000 cedis.
GRi..
Let’s forgive and forget – EGLE
In its lead story, the Evening News reports the EGLE Party as saying that the call by the Minority Group in Parliament for the setting up of a National Commission on Reconciliation and Restitution is likely to inflict emotional pain on those who, due to some misdeeds, were adversely affected by the revolution, and can also affect the peace and stability Ghana is currently enjoying.
"Why don’t we forget about the past and let bygones be bygones? What we need to know is to build on the gains of those regimes and learn to forgive and forget". The paper quotes Alhaji Seidu Mahama, national organiser of the party, as saying in an interview in Accra yesterday. Alhaji Mahama is reported as saying that Ghana has a national agenda – "Vision 2020" and it requires a collective effort and commitment from all Ghanaians towards the realisation of that Vision.
"We need to move forward in development and democracy and not backwards with venomous memories", he is quoted as saying
GRi../
Free Press
Top NDC men scramble for banks’ assets
The Free Press n a front-page splash, writes that in-depth investigations by the paper have unearthed several interesting but shocking underhand dealings before the closure of the two national banks - Bank for Housing and Construction (BHC) and the Ghana Co-operative Bank, a few days ago.
According to the paper its probing has established among other things, that top NDC functionaries were involved in the scandal that led to the collapse of the BHC, an order by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the two banks be closed down.
The paper adds that unconfirmed reports indicate that top NDC functionaries were scrambling for the assets of the banks. The Free Press says that the "A-Life" scandal was also connected to the collapse of BHC and that at the time of the scandal, Mr Quartey-Papafio, the then Ashanti Regional treasurer of the NDC, was the manager of the Harper Road branch of BHC.
The paper says that the branch was the brain behind the A-Life scandal. It says that a cheque for billions of cedis was allegedly blocked through the ‘clearing system’ but later, the same cheque was drawn and nobody raised an alarm.
GRi../
The Dispatch
8th Dec. 2000 is Election Day
In a front-page banner, the Dispatch says that the 2000 presidential and parliamentary elections are likely to be held on Friday, December 8. The paper, quoting the Electoral Commissioner, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, said the total cost of the revision of the voters’ register, provision of voter identity cards with photographs and the actual elections, is about 50 billion cedis.
Dr Afari-Gyan is reported to have stated in a GTV current affairs programme, "News Conference" that cleaning of the voters’ register and replacing the thumbprints on identity cards with photos, will cost about 25 billion cedis, with the actual elections costing another 25 billion cedis.
He is quoted as saying that the Electoral Commission’s tentative plan was to start cleaning the register, that is removing the names of dead voters and adding the names of those who have now attained the age of 18 and above.
GRi../