Is the wheel being reinvented every year?

I ask whether the Ministry of Education (as it is now known) [and yes, the link leads to a website which is still under construction, nine months after the present government came into power!] reinvents the wheel every year with regard to admission to senior high schools here in Ghana?

The computerised system is not new, and even if you have failures, does it take more than six weeks since the results were released by WAEC to do the placement?  For crying out loud, I suspect a manual system of slips and cards and assembling all the heads in one place would have solved the problem in much less time!  

Exchange students and gender balance

I remember reading a blog (http://hollisramblings.blogspot.com/2008/07/giving-back-volunteers-flood-into-ghana.html) which commented on volunteers coming to Ghana during summer holidays and being struck at how true this seemed.

Last semester was an extreme case at the institution where I work - with less than 10% male visiting exchange students - and though this semester there are more males, the percentage isn't that much over 20%. I asked one of the students why she thought this happened, and she made the comment, passed on from someone who had made some kind of study of this, that the males like going to Europe!

I wonder whether this is an indication of the feminisation of development - and I am not criticising this by any means, but I do wonder whether this is a trend which will continue in a job market. I think I will ask a bit more, as this does intrigue me.

Ghana presidential runoff elections

The presidential runoff elections here in Ghana are taking place on Sunday 28 December, and I am still ambivalent as to who should win. I don't have the right to vote, but I can still express my opinion. Once again the "special" elections which were held earlier in the week for those who are on duty on the actual election day seem to have had some issues - mostly in terms of much larger numbers of people voting than in the previous time.

Then there is the business about the borders being closed from Friday. I don't understand why this was necessary, though I suppose it is better that it is all of them rather than just those with Togo! I guess it just means that some people will slip in on the unauthorised routes - instead of doing it legally.

And there are other worrying stories - not proven, but discussed at length on the talk shows - which seem to indicate that both the NPP and the NDC are really desperate to win. And will they accept the totals that are released by the Electoral Commission? Or will there be cries of "we wus robbed!"?

Two more days to Ghana's election

Two more days to the Ghana elections on Sunday 7 December 2008. Today was noisy – with all sorts of groups and floats passing by with brass bands and/or loudspeakers proclaiming the latest party songs. The traffic was awful – just like the morning and evening traffic jams but all day. And initially I couldn’t figure out why, and then it clicked. The NPP (New Patriotic Party) were having a mega-rally at Accra Academy, which is on the main Mallam highway, which I suspect was causing total chaos and not just a traffic jam, but probably gridlock! So all the "wise" drivers decided to go on the alternative route instead. Luckily I got out relatively early this morning to do some shopping.

Ironically it rained twice today – extremely unusual for early December in Ghana. I wonder whether this is a sign from on high? Though of what?

Olympics and Ghana

Why do I feel that it has been rather quiet on the Ghanaian media front (except maybe from a few sports journalists?) regarding Ghana's contingent to the Olympics? I hardly heard anything about the group, and who they were, and their strengths/weaknesses/preparations/hopes/fears, plus of course those of their coaches. And then there is the question to how many "officials" went along with nine competitors? Not to speak of those who accompanied President Kufuor on his trip...

When will we ever learn? or is this just another case of the last minute? Isn't this now the time to be thinking, and preparing for 2012? and maybe 2016? Who is out there looking at the kids of 10-12 to see their potential, and help to mature it.

Lousy language, I know, but this is really bugging me.