Prof Eliasu Mumuni, Senior Lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS), has called for improved welfare for journalists as a means of enhancing professionalism and raising journalistic standards in the country.

He stressed that proper remuneration and better working conditions were critical for journalists to operate independently, ethically, and without undue influence.

Prof. Mumuni who is also President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) UDS Chapter, made the appeal at ‘The Journalism Hangout’ in Tamale, organised by Investigative Journalist Mr Emmanuel Dogbevi for media practitioners in the Northern Region.

The event, the third in the series held in the country’s northern cities of Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region and Walewale in the North East Region brought together a cross section of journalists from both private and public media organisations to discuss ways of improving professionalism in the media, strengthening fact-checking, and harnessing modern tools, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to raise the standard of journalism.

Participants explored also how to tap into funding opportunities, foster collaboration for impactful stories, and implement strategies to enhance journalists’ welfare and professionalism through capacity building.

Mr Dogbevi who facilitated the discussion, said journalism was not merely about publications but also about the skill, dedication and effort required to uncover the truth, and urged journalists to always doubt information until it could be independently verified, warning against the dangers of becoming conduits for misinformation.

“Always verify your information so that you do not become a mouthpiece for misinformation,” he cautioned.

He noted that journalism was under threat from fake news spread by some social media influencers and bloggers and called for a redefinition of the profession based on accuracy, fact-checking, and integrity.

The session emphasised the importance of ethical standards, responsible use of technology, and advocacy for policies that protect journalists’ welfare and the credibility of the profession.

Participants commended Mr Dogbevi for the initiative, describing it as a valuable platform for career development and mentorship, and urged that the session should be organised regularly.

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Ulster University in Northern Ireland, are working on a fire safety syllabus for basic schools. 

The Acting Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sapong, said the initiative is to help the children learn fire safety in school, grow up to understand the importance of being safe, and become ambassadors for safety in their homes and communities.

She said this at the Ghana National Fire Service's National Safety Awards 2025, held at the Headquarters, where the Minister for Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, together with some service personnel, civilians, and corporate institutions, were honoured for their contributions towards fire safety promotion.

CFO Sapong said, "The fire safety syllabus will help shape the country for a safer future. I commend the team putting up the syllabus, but let us also remember to teach our children how to be safe. Let us take care in our homes, schools, and workplaces. Let us make safety a habit for everyone."

She said the GNFS wore many hats as safety officers, teachers, rescuers, investigators, and partners in building a safer country; however, they could not do it alone and needed the public's support and collaboration.

"We are asking corporate Ghana and individuals to support us, not just with words but with actions to build the capacity of our workforce to serve them better, get better equipment and logistics to reach more communities with the gospel of safety," she said. 

The Acting CFO said the National Safety Awards were about building a lasting culture where every Ghanaian, whether young or old, embraced safety as a way of life in homes, schools, workplaces, roads, farms, markets, and public spaces.

She said GNFS personnel had, through their hard work and dedication, issued out over 41,000 fire certificates, given out over 9000 fire permits and carried out 32,626 fire safety audits and inspections in the past two years.

They had also held over 33,000 public education sessions across the country and helped save over GH₵354 million worth of properties from fire ruins in the past two years.

In the first half of 2025, GNFS recorded 3,595 fire cases compared to 3,576 during the same period in 2024, a marginal increase of 0.53% and that the GNFS attributed to the rise in fire cases because people did not follow basic fire safety rules coupled with bad weather in the first quarter of 2025. 

Project Lead for the National Safety Awards 2025, Joseph T. D. Narnor Jnr, said the awards were not given on any financial commitments but true recognition of those who demonstrated commitment to promoting fire safety. 

He said they dreamed of a Ghana where every child knew “safety first” before they played, every community trained responders - not just in uniform but in heart and skill and a Ghana where safety would not be an afterthought but the foundation of how citizens lived, worked, and grew.

The Minister was honoured with a citation and plaque for his support of fire safety initiatives. 

Other honourees included Chief Fire Officer (CFO) (Rtd) Julius Aalebkure Kuunor, Acting CFO Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sapong, DCFO (Rtd) Paa Kwasi Adu Twum, DCFO (Rtd) Tonny K Lawoe, DCFO (Rtd) Kwame Kwateng, DOI Michael Ato Korsah and GNA's Chief Reporter, Samira Larbi. Corporate institutions were also recognised. 

The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Smile Gavua Dzisi, says government is committed to making Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education the foundation of national development.

Speaking at the “2025 STEMtastic Adventures! Africa Symposium” in Nairobi, Kenya, Prof Dzisi emphasised that improving STEM education remains a priority in enhancing the quality and competitiveness of Ghana’s workforce.

“We are really committed to having a robust STEM workforce. Because we recognise that to stay competitive and also to be able to solve unique challenges or problems in all the sectors, we need to pay critical attention to STEM education,” she explained.

Prof. Dzisi noted that Ghana's current STEM strategy is anchored in the Education Sector Medium-Term Development Plan (ESMTDP) 2018–2030.

The plan outlines three core policy objectives: improved teaching and learning resources, enhanced STEM outcomes for all students, particularly girls, and reforms in curriculum and assessment.

She further noted the government has rolled out key initiatives to shape the policy landscape, including the ICT for Education Policy, the EdTech Strategy, and the integration of coding and robotics into both basic and secondary education curricula.

The symposium, organised by the mEducation Alliance in collaboration with the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) and the African Union Development Agency, served as a platform for sharing best practices and evidence-based innovations in STEM instruction.

The meeting also focused on promoting equity in STEM education through inclusive approaches that ensure access for underrepresented groups.

Participants included government and policy representatives, international and regional organisations, technology and innovation experts, foundations, nonprofit and for-profit institutions, researchers, teachers, and students from across Africa and beyond.

Prof. Dzisi disclosed that efforts are underway to equip every school in Ghana with modern STEM laboratories and to ensure the availability of highly skilled STEM teachers.

She emphasised the importance of continuous professional development for existing educators, particularly in areas such as pedagogy, digital tools, and practical teaching methodologies.

She additionally called for sustained investment in infrastructure, especially in rural areas, and reiterated the importance of teacher training in building interest and capacity in STEM fields.

“As we speak, there's a compulsory, mandatory teacher professional development that we do every month to make sure that we equip them with the necessary skills to be able to impart to our students,” she said.

Ghana’s delegation to the symposium also included Deputy Executive Director of the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS), Larry K. Agbor, Principal Programme Officer in charge of STEM Education at the Ministry of Education, Peter Kwaku Tettey, Victor Owusu of the Ghana Education Service, Headmistress of Aggrey Memorial Episcopal Zion Senior High School, Ms. Doroth Anyimadu, Assistant Headmistress of Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, Ms. Juliana Anyimadu, and Municipal STEM Coordinator at the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirim District, Madam Grace Essuman Mensah.

Madam Mensah spoke at the Mathematical Thinking session, where she shared insights on best practices for improving math instruction across Ghana.

She highlighted classroom strategies such as activity-based learning, contextual problem-solving, and the use of manipulatives to make abstract concepts more accessible.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has established four security posts in conflict-prone areas to ensure the safety of candidates taking part in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), which begins today, August 5, with practical sessions.

Addressing the media, the Director-General of GES, Prof Ernest Kofi Davis, outlined critical security measures aimed at guaranteeing the smooth conduct of this year’s examination.

“We are ensuring security presence in the schools, so there will be no day students this year. All candidates will remain on campus under security protection until they complete their exams,” Prof. Davis stated. “Those who need to be escorted will be taken back to the safe communities they came from. We have four security posts, one in Nkwanta and three in the Northern Region.”

On the issue of examination malpractice, Prof. Davis expressed grave concern about widespread cheating in previous years, especially in the Ashanti Region, where 76 out of 144 schools were implicated in various forms of misconduct.

“No examination malpractice will be tolerated this year,” he warned. “The GES Council has empowered us to dismiss individuals and supervisors found complicit in any form of cheating.”

This year’s WASSCE will see candidates sit for 65 subjects, with each student expected to write a minimum of eight.

The GES says it is working closely with security agencies and examination supervisors to uphold the integrity of the exams and ensure the safety and well-being of all candidates.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has warned that any supervisor or invigilator caught engaging in examination malpractice in this year's West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates (WASSCE-SC) will be dismissed.

The GES Council had given the service the power to dismiss any supervisor or invigilator found to have assisted candidates to cheat.

The GES, therefore, advised supervisors and invigilators to comport themselves and refrain from acts that could bring the examination into disrepute.

The acting Director General of the GES, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, said this at a press conference in Accra on Monday, August 4, when he briefed the media on the 2025 WASSCE.

"We know the effect of examination malpractice on the integrity of the certificates and the education system as a whole, so they shouldn't do it. We want to protect the integrity of our examinations.

"The information for them is that they will be dismissed if they are caught. The GES council has given GES the power to dismiss invigilators and supervisors who are caught indulging in examination malpractices," he said. 

He called for support from all stakeholders to ensure smooth and successful examinations devoid of collusion and other forms of malpractice.

Responding to questions on arrangements that have been put in place for candidates at the Bawku Senior High School (SHS) and Zuarungu SHS, both in the Upper East Region, Nalerigu SHS in the North East Region, as well as Nkwanta SHS in the Oti Region, he said there would be a heavy security presence in those schools.

“So, we are in touch with the security agencies there; the students would have a security presence and would have some security escort.

“So, we are working collaboratively with the security to ensure that we have incident-free examinations. So, you are right, we are in conflict, so we are ready to get the students to take the exams,” he stated.

Regarding Nkwanta SHS, he said there would be security posts at the school to ensure that candidates were well protected.

“I just spoke with the head of security there. We are getting the security presence in the school. The security will be there to ensure that there is law and order.

“So, they will have security posts in the school and students are going to take the exams in the school under security protection. I can confirm that because I just had a conversation with the head of security,” he assured.

A total of 461,640 candidates across the country are expected to sit for the WASSCE examination. This number is made up of 207,381 male candidates and 254,259 female candidates.

The examination will be conducted in about 701 examination centres across the country.

Prof. Davis said the GES would collaborate with WAEC and the security agencies to ensure law and order during the examination.

He congratulated the candidates and wished them all the best in the examination and admonished them to prepare very well for the papers.

“They should apply themselves to their books and ensure that they do independent work during the examination. I will advise them not to rely on “apo” or external help because that will not come. We are sure that that will not happen in the examination.

“They shouldn't engage in any form of malpractice because that will attract severe punishment, and we don't want them to find themselves in that situation."

Meanwhile, the GES has released GH¢15,849,920 to cover the practical fees of the 2025 WASSCE nationwide.

By Yussif Ibrahim

Kumasi, July 29, GNA – The 7th Quadrennial and 54th Delegates Conference of the Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is underway at the Christian Village in Kumasi.

The conference has brought together hundreds of delegates from various districts across the region to review the mandate of the outgoing executives and elect new officers to lead the Association for the next four years.

Mr. Prosper Tachie, the incumbent Regional Chairman, is running unopposed and is expected to retain his position, leading a new team of executives into the next phase of leadership.

Being held on the theme: “Educating an Africa Fit for the 21st Century: The Role of Policy Makers and the Unions in Ghana”, the conference opened with the presence of some

national GNAT executives and key education stakeholders, including the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene.

Dr. Amoakohene commended teachers for their dedicated service to national development, describing them as the main producers of human capital critical to the country’s progress.

He emphasized the importance of prioritising teacher welfare and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enhancing the education sector.

He noted that under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, the government was poised to implement key recommendations from the recent National Education Dialogue.

These, he said, were aimed at reshaping the educational landscape in favour of both teachers and learners.

A major outcome of the dialogue, according to the Minister, was the introduction of the “Teacher Dabre” initiative.

Under this policy, no new school infrastructure project would be approved without a corresponding provision for teachers’ accommodation, a directive he said the President had already issued.

Other speakers at the event emphasized the critical role of teachers in national transformation and called for the election of capable and visionary leaders who could advocate effectively for improved conditions of service and the welfare of GNAT members.

The conference continues with deliberations expected to culminate in the election of new regional officers on the second day.