Tag Archives: Dr Clement Apaak

News, Politics

Absorbing academic fees for first-year students likely to cost GH¢300m annually – Apaak

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A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto Committee on Education, Dr Clement Apaak has defended the party’s proposal to scrap academic fees for all first-year students when they win the December polls.

During the NDC youth manifesto launch in Accra on Monday, August 12, the party’s flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, promised to introduce the policy to support struggling students.

But Apaak who is also the MP for Builsa South explained that the gap between the number of WASSCE graduates and those who advance to tertiary education is often due to financial constraints, arguing that the proposed policy aims to address this issue when the party comes to power.

“One of the challenges students face is their ability to pay fees and it has recently become obvious that the number of students who write WASSCE and proceed to the university is not encouraging and this is because the money to pay fees is a problem.

“When we engaged with youth groups on how to resolve this, waiving off fees for first-year students came up strongly.

“From the figures that we have, if we are to go by some information that has been put out by our good brother Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch, they estimate that if one was to look at the number of students who took up places in tertiary institutions in the 2023/2024 academic year, they are less than 200,000 and when you look at the academic fees of first-year students on average, it works out to anywhere between GH¢2,000 and GH¢2,300 thereabout.

“So if we were to use that as a base, we could posit that the policy will cost less than GH¢300 million a year and of course, student numbers fluctuate each year, so it is doable and if we were to pluck revenue loopholes, we should be able to mobilise the resources to fund this proposal.”

 

Source: Citinewsroom.com

News, Topstory

It’s sad Gov’t couldn’t print textbooks for BECE candidates – Apaak

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The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Select Committee on Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has said he is worried the Akufo-Addo government has, for years, failed to procure text books for basic schools to enhance their learning experience.

Speaking to Kwame Minkah, host of Dwaboase programme on TV XYZ, the MP for Builsa South noted that the action of the government will have a negative impact on the performance of the candidates sitting the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) this year.

The educationist and lawmaker said he cannot fathom the reason behind the government’s failure to get the important learning materials to schools for a long time.

“The government owes publishers and has failed to settle the debt, resulting in their refusal to print textbooks for the students… The situation is worrying,” the legislator said in Akan.

To him, the government’s act depicts that it is not committed to improving education standards in the country.

“It is only under President Akufo-Addo that we are experiencing this,” he posited while arguing that the government is destroying the future of the incoming generation.

Despite numerous attempts by the Minority to get the government to do the right thing in the education sector, Dr Apaak emphasized that the managers of the country’s education sector are reluctant to secure text books.

Dr Apaak’s concerns come at a time form three students are writing their final exams to exit the Junior High School.

2024 BECE

According to the West African Examination Council (WAEC)out of the total number of candidates sitting for the BECE, 282, 648 are males and 286,447 are females, with 19,506 schools participating in the examinations.

The examination is being administered in 2,123 locations across the country, with 2,123 supervisors, 1,889 assistant supervisors, and 19,973 invigilators.

 

By Henryson Okrah| Myxyzonline.com

News, Politics

Ghanaians won’t forgive us if NDC fails to hold Akufo-Addo’s appointees to account – Apaak

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The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak has raised concerns about plans by the Ghana Education (GES) to procure past questions for final year Senior High students.

The Deputy Ranking Member for Parliament’s Education Committee said apart from the procurement process which is questionable, the decision is not the best.

The MP believes the procurement, which will cost the state a whopping GHS 68 million, is not being done with transparency.

“Why use sole-sourcing for the procurement?” Apaak quizzed on Inside Politics on TV XYZ.

“The Government could have gone to WAEC for the photocopying of the past questions if it meant well. WAEC could have done that for the government at a cheaper price but this government decided to award someone a contract at a questionable cost,” Apaak bemoaned.

To him, the deal is shrouded in secrecy and has the tendency to waste state funds.

“Why did you have to wait? Why the sole sourcing? There was no justification for them to sole source? This is the nature of this corrupt, failed, insensitive Akufo-Addo -Bawumia government.”

He alleged the procurement is a deal to enrich a few members of the NPP, stressing that such deals must be put to the accountability test when the NDC wins power.

“We must expand Nsawam prison when we win power…When we come to power and we don’t hold these people accountable, Ghanaians will not forgive us,” the MP added.

 

Source: Myxyzonline.com

News, Politics

Bawumia is being dishonest about improvement of Free SHS – Apaak

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The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Education Committee, Dr Clement Apaak, has, once again, exposed the inconsistencies in Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s plans for the Free Senior High School.

The MP for Builsa South in a statement criticized the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration for being dishonest about how they would want the pro-poor policy to be ran beyond 2025.

According to Dr Apaak, the government told the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it will “review and rationalise the Free Senior High School (SHS) program” yet told Ghanaians otherwise.

” When dealing with the IMF, DMB/NPP say they will review and rationalise it. But, when dealing with Ghanaians, they say they will improve it,” the legislator said in his statement.

To him, Dr Bawumia’s stance about Free SHS depicts dishonesty which must not be countenanced.

“There is nothing bold in saying different things about the same issue to different categories of people or entities. Such conduct is not only insincere and dishonest but cowardly, ” Apaak criticized.

He believes the NPP, led by Dr Bawumia, has no future for the Free SHS hence the government must be booted out in the December 7 polls.

Below is his statement;

 

On FSHS: When dealing with the IMF, DMB/NPP say they will review and rationalise it. But, when dealing with Ghanaians, they say they will improve it. Here is the evidence!

1. DMB/NPP on FSHS to IMF:
“In the educational sector, we will review and rationalise the Free Senior High School (SHS) program.” Point 47, page 76, IMF Country Report No. 24/30, January 2024.

2. DMB/NPP on FSHS to GH:
“Under my government Free SHS will continue and we will improve upon it”. Point 168, page 69. Ghana’s Next Chapter: Selfless Leadership and Bold Solutions for the Future, February 2024.

One thing is obvious. There is nothing bold in saying different things about the same issue to different categories of people or entities. Such conduct is not only insincere and dishonest but cowardly.

Reject IMPROVE FSHS in the day and REVIEW FSHS in the night. Reject duplicity. Integrity must count. Vote for JM/NDC.

Dr. Clement Apaak
M.P, Builsa South

 

Source: Myxyzonline.com