TMA Institutes Scholarship Scheme for Ga Teachers

The Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) has instituted a teacher trainee scholarship scheme for qualified people to be trained as teachers in the Ga language and technical skills.

Mr Emmanuel W. Ofoe, Tema Municipal Co-ordinating Director, who is also the Acting as the Chief Executive said beneficiaries of the scholarship would be made to sign a bond to teach in the Tema Municipality for a number of years.

This was contained in a speech read for him by Mr Jacob K. K. Somuah, Municipal Finance Officer, at the annual Kpledzoo festival of the chiefs and people of Tema traditional area at Tema, Manhean on Saturday.

The TMA, he explained, has taken this move in view of the "adulteration of our culture and dialects by the youth, which is unacceptable if Ghanaians are to preserve the country's poetic languages and rich culture".

"Many of the youth in our urban areas now speak what is known as Ga, Twi and Fanti English and they hide their deficiency in their native tongue by resorting to jargons.

He expressed regret that due to modernisation, travels and increasing racial interaction the youth are neither able to speak their native dialects correctly or perform their traditional dances.

Mr Ofoe said the TMA is determined to assist the youth of the Ga -speaking areas to be able to read, write and speak the Ga language.

As an industrial city, the Co-ordinating Director indicated that the TMA has planned to equip the youth with technical skills to make them employable.

To help improve sanitation at Tema Manhean, he said the TMA in conjunction with the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) intends constructing a public toilet and to extend its house-to house refuse collection to the town.

He appealed to the chiefs and elders of the area to impress on the people to pay their refuse fees when the exercise takes off. Nii Abeo Kyerekwanda, National Chief Fisherman, called on chiefs to resist attempts by people to change their culture since it identifies people of a particular area.

Nii Adjei Mensah, a former regent of Tema Manhean, advised against the selling of Tema lands in view of the increasing population of the natives else there will be no place left for the next generation.

Nii Adjei Kraku II, Tema Mantse sat in state with all the sub-chiefs but did not make any public pronouncement nor talk to the press in line with tradition.