Adisadel Headmaster Takes Home Four Vehicles as Retirement Package - PTA fumes

The Parent Teacher Association of Adisadel college has rejected a letter of appreciation from the outgoing headmaster of the school, indicating that the PTA bought some vehicles for him as his retirement package.

The headmaster, Rev. Herbert Graham took home four luxurious vehicles as his retirement package at a send- off service held for him but the PTA says, they have nothing to do with cars and thus cannot be appreciated for a gesture they have not done.

Rev. Herbert Graham who is still at post after his send-off service, wrote a letter thanking the PTA for having bought him some vehicles as his retirement package and thanking them profusely for the honour done him.

But in a sharp rebuttal, the PTA has written to him rejecting his appreciation. According to a letter written and signed by the vice chairman of the PTA, Rev. Emmanuel Abole, the Parents and teachers recognize the retirement plans of the headmaster but have never bought vehicles for him to take home.

During the retirement service, four nicely decorated vehicles - Nissan Xterra, Ford Explorer, BMW four wheel drive and Opel car - were given to him to take home. Students are being pressured to pay the 30 Ghana cedis levy upon arrival from vacation, to settle their debtors for the vehicles purchased.  The school has a population of about 1,700 students.

With the PTA denying having bought the vehicles, it is not clear who ordered for the purchase of the four luxurious vehicles.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) however, says the levy on the students is illegal.

Parents have also been levied 50 Ghana cedis towards the celebration of the 104th anniversary and speech and  prize given-day. The expenditure for the celebration amounts to over a billion old Ghana cedis, an amount the parents and teachers have described as irrational.

In a related development, the PTA is calling on the GES to ensure that the headmaster who has retired does not continue to sign letters and cheques and does not also  control the affairs of the school. They want the headmaster to leave the scene because, the continued stay in office by Rev. Herbert Graham will further increase the tension and division in the school.

Source: Myjoyonline.com 

Komla Dumor Dies

Komla Afeke Dumor

BBC and former host of Joy FM's Super Morning Show Komla Dumor has died.

The presenter of the Focus on Africa programme on BBC died, Saturday morning in London after a short illness Myjoyonline.com has learnt.

Former CEO OF Kumasi Asante Kotoko Herbert Mensah confirmed the death in an interview with Joy News.

His wife is a neighbour to Dumor in London and was present when the doctors pronounced the BBC presenter dead. Mensah would not give any further details on the circumstances surrounding the death except to add that Esther Cobbah, head of Stratcomm Africa, and a friend to the Dumor family has been  appointed to speak on the family's behalf.

Komla Dumor was on set Friday evening when he hosted the BBC Focus of Africa programme. It was to be his last. He was only last week nominated to be the face of the BBC for the World Cup in Brazil this summer.

The ace Ghanaian journalist, 2003 winner of the  GJA Journalist of the year, hosted the Joy FM Super Morning Show for ten years before proceeding to the BBC in 2006 where he hosted a number of programmes including the BBC World News, Focus on Africa, Network Africa.

He was the only West African news reader on the BBC World news until his death.

Dumor achieved his feat in journalism without a journalism background.

He studied medicine but he changed course and graduated from the University of Ghana with a BSc in Sociology and Psychology and from Harvard University with an MA in Public Administration.

His unique voice, passion, and an incredible attention to detail catapulted him to higher heights in journalism. He had interviewed some of the greatest world leaders, including former US president Bill Clinton, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

He was married to Kwansema Dumor, with whom he had three children. He was 41.

Source: Myjoyonline.com