PRESIDENT J. A. Kufuor yesterday inaugurated the reconstituted National Population Council (NPC) at the Castle, Osu, in Accra.

The 23-member council, chaired by Mrs Virginia Ofosu-Amaah, is tasked with the responsibility of managing and co-ordinating population related programmes in the country.

President Kufuor, in a speech, urged the members to help in the achievement of an acceptable population growth rate to facilitate planning and socio-economic development.

He entreated them to place their professional experiences at the disposal of the country.

President Kufuor advised them to approach their work with the urgency needed. Mrs Ofosu-Amaah, on her part, stressed the need to fully integrate population concerns into development programmes, particularly at the local and district levels.

She said the increasing feminisation of poverty, the spread of HIV/AIDS, high rate of infant child and maternal mortality, and the need to address issues relating to adolescent reproductive health and problems of the aged in the society remain major challenges in the country.

She said the solution of these problems will ensure the effective implementation of the revised National Population Policy and called for the provision of the necessary resources.

Other members of the council are, Naa Prof. John S. Nabila, Vice-Chairman, Dr Richard Turkson, Executive Director of NPC, Mrs Philomena Johnson, National Development Planning Commission, Prof. S. A. Amoa, Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Mrs Ernestina Naana Hagan, FIDA, Prince Aaron Andansi, National Youth Council, Dr K. A. Twum-Baah, Ghana Statistical Service, Alhaji M. N.D. Jawula, Ministry of Finance, Dr Robert Aboagye-Mensah, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, and Mrs Winfred Amugi, Trades Union Congress, among others.

In another development, Mrs Loretta Vanderpuye of the Ghana Television and the 2001 CNN Best Environmental Journalist award winner was at the Castle to present her award to President Kufuor.

He described the award as an honour to Ghana and journalists. He said Mrs Vanderpuye’s choice of the environment is a manifestation of her concern for people.

He said journalism is an important profession and urged journalists to tell the truth.

Mrs Vanderpuye, on her part, urged the authorities to help solve the numerous environmental problems in the country to save the lives of people dying from environmental and sanitation related diseases.

She also called for regular training and support for journalists.

Education Council, GIL
THE Minister of Education, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, yesterday inaugurated the re-constituted Ghana Education Service (GES) Council and the Board of Governors of the Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL) at a ceremony in Accra.

The GES Council is under the Chairmanship of Professor Florence Abena Dolphyne, former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, while Dr V.A.O. Lamptey, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Modern Languages, University chairs the GIL board.

In his inaugural address, Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi tasked the GES Council to initiative steps to appoint a substantive Director-General for the GES. He said there are also a number of appointments and promotions which need to be done by the council and expressed the hope that it will expedite action on the matter.

Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi also mentioned recent indisciplined acts in some educational institutions in the country and made it clear that: "We need to deal with them according to laid down rules and procedures,"adding, "You can count on the strong backing of government in this endeavour."

The minister mentioned the remuneration of teachers as one of the paramount issues confronting the ministry and urged the council to work out pragmatic ways of improving teachers’ conditions of service.

Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi explained that "undeniably, the indisciplined teacher and administrator have no role in our desire to compete favourably in the modern world because he/she needs to be an effective role model and set competitive standards for our society to emulate".

He said it is, therefore, the duty of the council to ensure that there is an efficient, dynamic and proactive education service that provides relevant quality education to all Ghanaian children.

In the same vein, the minister charged the board of the GIL to look into the salary structure of the institute and a site for a permanent structure for the institute.

He mentioned the intention of the ministry to have the French language taken as a compulsory subject from the basic to the university level and called on the board to assist in that direction.

Professor Dolphyne and Dr Lamptey respectively thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to work assiduously in the best interest of the country.