General News of Tuesday, 7 June 2016

Source: thechronicle.com.gh

Stop buying mobile phones for JHS & SHS student - GES

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Director General of Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr. Jacob Kor has cautioned parents to stop buying mobile phones for their children in the basic and secondary schools.

According to him, the uncontrolled use of mobile phones by children in schools has exposed them to the negative things on the internet and should be banned at those levels.

The Director General of Education was speaking at the 10th Conference of Heads and Managers of Ahmadiyya Muslim Education Institutions in Ghana (CHAMEIG) held in Wa last Wednesday.

He contended that, the use of the internet by the children would give them the opportunity to go wayward. “I wouldn’t buy a mobile phone for my children at the basic and secondary level because of the negative effects,” he stated.

Mr. Kor accused parents of buying phone for the children in the name of technology and that, all what the children know now is whatsapping deep into the night, instead of studying. He advised parents to put a stop to the practice of buying mobile phones for their children at a young age, in order to keep them close to their books.

Mr. Kor indicated that teenage pregnancy, child marriage, same-sex marriage, occultism, drug abuse and armed robbery had not been sanctioned Islam and urged heads of educational institutions to map out plans that would discourage them.

The Upper West Regional Minister, Amin Amidu Sulemani said as the government continued to provide the necessary infrastructure, teaching and learning materials to improve quality teaching and learning, faith based institutions have a key role to play in shaping the minds and winning the hearts of students to inculcate moral discipline in them.

Amin Amidu Sulemani said the combination of circular and religious education in these schools have contributed to their successes and charged faith based institutions to instil moral discipline and values in students, engage more with each other to share experiences and challenges to improve upon quality of teaching and learning.

He also urged the Heads and Managers of Educational institutions to demonstrate quality leadership and think outside the box to propose new ideas to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the schools.

The Upper West Regional Minister noted that parents, guardians, teachers, government, students, religious leaders and traditional rulers have equal role to play to ensure quality teaching in the schools.

The Principal of Nusrat Jahan Ahmadiyya College of Education, Asmau Ismail said the college was providing secular Education as a solid foundation for latent development in life and making secular Education accessible to the rural deprived area of Ghana.

She further point out that the college is inculcating in students the sacrificial spirit of serving humanity and providing religious and moral education for spiritual development, are the core and most cherished values of the Ahmadiyyat Moslem Mission.

Haji Ismail said the conference was already making positive impact on education and teachers through its policy directives, monitoring and demand of accountability from members and stakeholders.