YOUTH URGED TO DEVELOP SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERISM (PAGE 14)

THE National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Tain, Mr Amed Ibrahim has stressed the need for the youth in the country to develop the spirit of volunteerism in order to fast-track the progress of the nation.
According to him, the knowledge and strength imbued in them would be wastfed if it did not translate to something that could uplift the image of society, adding that the contribution of every youth was key to the development of society.
Mr Ibrahim made the call at Nsawkaw during a meeting with 60 tertiary students from the various communities in the Tain District, who had responded to the call to use their vacation period to enhance poor staffing in various schools in the district.
The MP lamented over the poor performance of schools in the district at the basic school level, which had led to many students not being able to continue their education at the Senior High School (SHS) level.
The situation, he said, had been the bane which was breeding all kinds of social vices in the area.
“If some one had volunteered to help that boy, he wouldn’t have failed and later become an armed robber” adding the youth would be remembered and rewarded in future for what they were able to put right and not what they allowed to go waste", he stressed
Mr Ibrahim noted that apart from going out there to serve the community, he challenged them to serve as role models to the students they have been tasked to teach, adding that the district was bedevilled with numerous challenges that the volunteered tertiary students could assist their communities to find solutions to.
The MP, who would be part of the volunteered teachers, appealed to the students to discard the notion of seeking economic rewards for every service they rendered to society.
“Society has brought you up to this level, this is the time to do the little you can for society without asking for a reward” he emphasised.
Mr Ibrahim also commended the effort of some of the students associations formed in the district such as the Seikwa Tertiary Students Association (SETSA) among others for their individual contribution towards the development of education in the Tain district.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Tain, Mr J.S.Tawiah for his part challenged the volunteers to be agents of change in order to justify their call to serve society.
He advised them against exhibiting various characters such as alcoholism, smoking, befriending schoolgirls and others, saying such behaviours could damage their future. “You don’t know what the future hold for you, so be careful about how you handle your life there.”
Some of the officials who also addressed the volunteers included the District Director of Education for Tain, Mr Francis Dongbetigre and the former DCE for Wenchi, Mr Osei Kwadwo as well as the Tain District Coordinating Director, Mr Hayford Kyere who urged the volunteers to deliver their best.

MAN, 25, JAILED FOR RAPE (PAGE 20)

THE Fiapre Circuit Court in the Sunyani West District in the Brong Ahafo Region, presided over by Mr Justice Benjamin Osei has sentenced a 25 year-old man to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour for kidnapping and raping a female Senior High School (SHS) student.
The convict, Charles Amponsah pleaded not guilty to the offence but the court presided over by Justice Benjamin Osei subjected him to a trial that lasted two years and found him guilty.
Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Kwaku Amoako said the convict resided at Odumase near Sunyani while the victim is a student.
He said on October 5, 2007, the victim went to a grinding mill to grind tomatoes but the owner of the mill did not operate that day.
DSP Amoako who is also the Regional Commander of the Domestic Violence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, stated that the convict who was around the area called the victim and told her that he knew another place where she could grind the tomatoes.
He said the convict therefore decided to lead the victim to the grinding mill.
According to DSP Amoako, after grinding the tomatoes and she was returning home, Amponsah allegedly managed to lure the victim to his bedroom where he forcibly had sexual intercourse with her and locked her up until dawn the following day.
He said the victim who was staying with her mother on the school compound, reported the ordeal she had gone through to her mother who subsequently reported the matter to the police.
DSP Amoako said after police investigations, the victim was issued with a medical form to attend hospital.
He said the convict was arrested and after police investigations, he was put before court where he pleaded not guilty to the offence and he had to be tried for two years.