The Ghanaian Voice
Students kick against new varsity fees
Public AgendaAssembly fund…Billions stolen
The High Street JournalNigeria hopes to re-acquire "West Africa Magazine"
The Ghanaian ChronicleNDC sells ECG for loan…
Ghanaian TimesCaning not abolished in schools – Ameyaw-Akumfi
The DispatchNDC panics at Reform’s moves
Students kick against new varsity fees
In a front page story, the Ghanaian Voice reports that parents and students have cried foul at the proposed new fees payable at the University of Ghana, Legon, as from the beginningof next academic year.
According to them it is unthinkable for a government which claims to be committed to the welfare of the people and development, to put impediments in the way of academic advancement, a pre-requisite for national socio-economic development. According to
the Ghanaian Voice, figures made available by Mr Twumasi of the University Relations Office, show that as much as 2.4 million cedis per student is expected for the academic year, apart from residential user fees of 250,000 per semester.
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Assembly fund…Billions stolen
The Public Agenda alleges that though district chief executives and other officials of district assemblies have squandered and continue to squander billions of cedis that could have gone into making life better for many Ghanaians, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Kwamena Ahwoi says dismissing them is enough. They will not be prosecuted.
The paper in a lead story says this sharply contrasts with an earlier warning by vice-president, Prof. John Atta Mills that those found guilty of such offences will be prosecuted.
The Public Agenda says Prof. Mills had told 27 new district chief executives that "severe sanctions, not excluding criminal prosecution, would be imposed on any district chief executive caught dipping his hands into the District Assemblies’ Common Fund or any funds of the assemblies".
The Minister is reported as saying that even though he is aware that district chief executives can be prosecuted if found to have embezzled funds, he conceded that none of them has so far been prosecuted since the inception of the Fund. "Of all the so-called corruption talk about the district assemblies, if you look into the Auditor-General’s report, the total comes to less than 2%", he is quoted as saying.
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Nigeria hopes to re-acquire "West Africa Magazine"
The High Street Journal reports in a front page story that plans by the "Graphic Corporation", Ghana’s Largest publishing outfit to acquire "West Africa Magazine", may be short-circuited as media observers in Nigeria are optimistic that the recent cancellation of contracts and transactions of the former Abdulsalami Abubakar’s administration by President Olusegun Obasanjo, may affect the acquisition.
The paper quotes "The Guardian", Nigeria’s leading newspaper as reporting last Monday that the West Africa Magazine ‘is gone but not yet into extinction’.
The Guarding says the 82-year-old publication has merely slipped from the hands of ‘’Daily Times Nigeria Plc.’’ into those of Graphic Corporation of Ghana, publishers of Accra-based "Daily Graphic".
The High Street Journal says the Ghanaian media outfit took possession of the sub-regional magazine early in the month with a promise to re-launch it at its original base in London in July. The paper says the Graphic Corporation bought the company for £200,000 in a bid which also had Nigerian Kayode Soyinka, publisher of "Africa Today", as a strong contender.
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NDC sells ECG for loan…
The Ghanaian Chronicle says the NDC government has offered for sale shares in the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to strategic investors as one of the conditionalities for a $180 million-loan from the International Development Association (IDA), to finance the second phase of the Economic Reform Support Operations (ERSO II). The paper quotes a development credit agreement between IDA and the Ghana Government, which was laid before Parliament last week.
Under the agreement, the Government, as part of the conditionalities, has increased cocoa farmers’ share of the free-on-board (FOB) price to 65 per cent in the 1999/2000 crop season, in accordance with the Letter of Development Policy (LDP) sent to the IDA.
The Chronicle says the letter dated April 29, 1999, describes a programme of action, objectives and policies designed to achieve structural adjustment of the economy for which it is seeking assistance.
Among other conditions, the government had informed the IDA that it had presented to Parliament a legislative instrument satisfactory to the Association, establishing electricity regulations for the operation of the national inter-continental electricity system.
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Caning not abolished in schools – Ameyaw-Akumfi
The Times reports Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), as saying caning as a form of punishment for offending pupils, is not prohibited as some parents and guardians think, and therefore assault teachers who flog their errant wards.
"It is allowed for certain degree of offences and must be administered by the head of the institution or his delegated representative", he is quoted as saying when he addressed students and staff of the Berekum Teacher Training College on the decision of the GES on the recent disturbances in the school.
The maximum number of strokes, he said is six and those who resort to caning must record the number of strokes in a book. The Times says at dawn on April 15, this year, some students of the college said to have been prompted by some tutors, agitated that Mr Ben Kuofie, the immediate-past principal, who had proceeded on study leave should be brought back to replace Mr Yaw Agyei-Sarkodie, the acting principal.
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NDC panics at Reform’s moves
In its banner headline story, the Dispatch says the test for the ruling NDC, regarding its strength as a cohesive party propelled by mass appeal, will be put to the test as it reacts to the political moves by the National Reform Party (NRP).
The paper says as at the weekend, reports indicated that the NDC had panicked because as many as 90 Members of Parliament and Ministers of State had actually made contact with the NRP, with the aim of political co-operation.
According to the Dispatch, the concern of the MPs is the manner in which the NDC is said to have decided to adopt in the selection of prospective candidates for the 2000 parliamentary election. It is said that the NDC has decided not to allow primaries in the constituencies to select candidates for the elections, but rather, candidates will be selected in Accra.
The paper says another area of concern is the reported decision of the NDC to allocate 40% of the 200 parliamentary candidates to women, as part of the party’s enforcement of gender/affirmative policy.
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