Accra, Jan 8, GNA - The Institute of Continuing and Distance Education, University of Ghana, would henceforth focus on one broad thematic area for the Annual New Year School beginning with ICT in education for the next five years.Prof Yaw Oheneba-Sakyi, Director of the Institute, said at the on-going 65th New Year School and Conference in Legon that the move was to ensure Ghana’s vision of the ICT for Accelerated Development policy was achieved.“The Institute intends for the next five years to focus on ICT and national development…spotlight of the Annual New Year School and Conference up to the year 2019 will be on how ICT could be enabled to drive and transform key sectors of the national economy’” he said.He said elections, health, agriculture, business and commerce were what the nation needed to achieve sustainable human development and to position itself for the emerging middle-income knowledge economy.Professor Oheneba-Sakyi said the 2014 theme: “Information and communication technology-driven education for sustainable human development: challenges and prospects” highlighted the critical role that ICT could play in addressing the myriad of challenges confronting the educational system.He said he wondered how countries had been able to transform their education by integrating ICT into teaching, learning and research but Ghana was still struggling to find its way.The Director said in line with the tradition of the school, the 65th edition offered opportunities for Ghanaians to contribute to the national dialogue on the place of ICT in modernising the country’s educational system.He said the Institute had identified several strategies geared towards achieving the vision of the ICT in education policy.The strategies include promoting electronic distance education and training and virtual learning systems, mainstreaming ICTs in the educational system, developing and restructuring relevant ICT curricula, encouraging collaboration between local and international institutions, developing educational intranet, leveraging the use of e-electronic distance learning networks as well as promoting internet access. GNA

Accra, Jan 7, GNA - Experts in education in ICT at the 65th Annual New Year School underway in University of Ghana have appealed to educational institutions to move away from the traditional system of education to online teaching and learning.The “brick and mortar” system of education is more expensive, inconvenient, laborious and unsustainable in the era of ICT evolution, they said.Prof Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, said the demand for education was sky rocketing, requiring massive expansion in infrastructure and training of human resource.He said a little over four per cent of the population of Ghana had access to post-secondary education.“Unfortunately, the economy cannot grow sustainably to tap talents of the remaining 96 per cent who, given the right skills, can contribute to national prosperity,” he said.Prof Anamuah-Mensah expressed worry such a large pool of talents laid uncultivated and could not contribute to national growth or had the opportunity to move their children out of the vicious cycle of poverty.Professor Anamuah-Mensah said Ghana would have to prepare for about five million more post-secondary education students by 2025 in order to meet its educational needs.“Meeting this need will require building about 17 new universities or polytechnics of 30,000 capacity each between now and 2025. This translates to about one new campus every two months,” he said.He said given the prospects in ICT, teachers needed to adopt new teaching methods while educational institutions hooked on to open-learning system to cut down cost and improve access.Dr Kwasi Darkwa, President of the Ghana Technology University College, said the College had begun a transition process from traditional system of teaching and learning to online with established campuses in parts of the country and in Nigeria.He said the system centred on the student and provided convenience and flexibility to students, lecturers, and parents.He said the scheme had the potential of eliminating the hassle of moving back and forth to attend lecturers, seek accommodation and bear the risk of travelling long distances.Dr Darkwa said millions of students could be taught at a time requiring very little infrastructure as compared to the traditional system as well eliminating backlogs of qualified candidates and addressing infrastructural deficit.Dr Gamel Wiredu, Dean of school of Technology, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, said his outfit was treading consciously and was optimistic the institute would adopt the system in the near future.But, Rev Dr Kwasi Sampong, Director of Centre for Open and Distance Education, Central University College, said the college was awaiting accreditation from the National Accreditation Board before embarking online teaching and learning.He said systems had been put in place for the training of teachers and administrators to be astute to the transition process while 155 broadband facilities were acquired.However, Rev Sampong said, the major obstacles facing the institution were high mentor and National Accreditation fees.  GNA

Accra, Jan 8, GNA - Airtel Ghana, in partnership with MicroEensure and Enterprise Life Assurance, on Tuesday launched “Airtel Insurance” to provide free insurance policy to subscribers who suffer death, accidental permanent disability and hospitalisation.The Insurance cover is a reward to customers with renewable monthly life, permanent disability and hospitalisation cover based on the amount of monthly airtime used.Mr Philip Sowah, the Manging Director of Airtel Ghana, said at the launch that the insurance policy sought to provide a platform for anyone on Airtel Network to have access to insurance.He said the company considered innovation as a driving force for economic growth and would apply novelty to provide relevant services and products to customers to maximise satisfaction.Mr Yaw Antwi Boadu, Head of Value-Added Customer Service, said people between the ages of 18 and 75 in any region were qualified for cover.He said subscribers needed to dial *580♯ for free and to spend five Ghana cedis each month to benefit up to GHC2, 500 of insurance cover per month.On the number of people covered under the policy, Mr Boadu explained that only primary subscribers were covered but if the person dies, then the benefit would accrue to the chosen next of kin.However, he said, the claim on hospitalisation or accidental permanent disability would be paid to the primary subscriber.Mr Boadu said upon registration, Airtel would send a confirmation SMS each month, “telling you how much cover you qualify, but you have to keep the confirmation SMS as the proof of registration.”Ms Adwoa Kusiwaa Boateng, Country Manager of MircroEnsure Ghana, the launch of the insurance policy in Ghana marked a milestone in free mobile insurance offerings.Mr C.C. Bruce, Managing Director of Enterprise Life Assurance expressed the hope the policy would help extend life insurance to many Ghanaian families. GNA

Accra, Jan 8, GNA - Airtel Ghana has given a cheque for 120,000 Ghana cedis to University of Ghana in support of the organisation of the 65th Annual New School and Conference.The company has also pledged to support subsequent activities of the School to create the required platform for the discussion and formulation of policies aimed at positioning Ghana on equal developmental pedestal with other nations.Mr Philip Sowah, the Managing Director of Airtel Ghana who presented the cheque at the opening ceremony of the school on Monday, said the company would extend its fullest support for the school in the following years.He said the company was moved by this year’s theme: “Information Technology-Driven Education for Sustainable Human Development: Challenges and Prospects.”“Educational empowerment is one of our strongest pillars and we use our corporate social responsibility platform to support communities that have educational needs,” he said.Mr Sowah said the company had provided ICT infrastructure for some under-privileged basic schools and planned to extend the network to rural and urban communities, thereby creating greater social interaction and opportunities for economic development.He expressed the hope that Airtel and University of Ghana’s Institute of Continuing and Distance Education would continue to work closely towards finding lasting solution to Ghana’s education need in ICT.The 65th Annual New Year School and Conference aims at creating the platform for a dispassionate discussion on how objectives of the ICT in Education Policy’ could be achieved.The conference would provoke discussions on ways of dealing with the challenges facing the education sector, integrating ICT into teaching, learning, research and outreach, at all levels of Ghana’s educational system.University of Ghana’s Council Chairman, Professor Samual Kofi Date-Bah, had said in spite of the prospects of using ICT as a tool for development, it was faced with a number of challenges.He said some of the challenges were connectivity, a general lack of qualified teachers in schools, inadequate number or non-availability of computers, affordability or sometimes the high cost of education and irregular electricity or the total absence of it. GNA

Takoradi, Jan. 8, GNA — A 21-year-old woman (name withheld) who had severe anaemia has died at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital following her refusal to have blood transfusion because of her religious beliefs.The deceased, a member of the Jehovah’s Witness Sect, was brought to the Hospital by her parents and twin sister after falling unconscious and died on January 3.Speaking to the GNA in Takoradi Dr. Henry Ata-Wurah, Acting Medical Director of the Hospital, said it was unethical to dispense haemoglobin to an adult against his/her religious belief or wish.He said the Hospital authorities would only explain the consequences of refusing blood transfusion to the patient for him/her to make a choice and that a doctor could dispense haemoglobin to a patient without his/her consent only when that person is a child.Dr Ata-Wura said a patient could suffer cardiac failure when the haemoglobin level was low as the heart would not be able to circulate sufficient oxygen to the various parts of the body.A member of the Jehovah’s Witness Sect told the GNA that the Bible prohibited ingesting blood and that Christians should therefore not accept blood transfusion.Mr. Frank Amevor said life was a gift from God therefore those who loved life should not sustain it by blood transfusion, adding “It is a non-negotiable religious stand. Blood is life and sacred to God.”GNA

Saltpond (C/R), Jan 8, GNA A Tarkwa-based businessman has supported eight health facilities in the Mfantseman Municipality with items worth over 10,000 Ghana cedis as his birthday present.

The items included Milo beverage, oats, milk, cleaning detergent and soap, clothes and towels and each embroidered with the beneficiary childs name.

Mr Ken Kinney, WAASNA Ghana President said the institution needs an annual budget of $ 50,000.00, to ensure its effective administration, adding that we need to employ a coordinator to harness the activities of civil society organizations (CSOs), and resources to cater for office accommodation, stationary, and to carry out our mandate.