|
Parliament goes on break for
December polls
Accra, Nov. 14, Ghanadot/GNA - Parliament on Friday before
it began a break in readiness for the December polls,
reminded the Electoral Commission (EC) that it had a crucial
role to make the forthcoming Presidential and Parliamentary
elections peaceful.
The leadership of the House in separate statements before
adjournment till December 16, observed that the success of
the elections would depend on the forthrightness of the
Commission and its ability to ensure transparency.
Mr Freddie Blay, First Deputy Speaker, who sat in the chair,
thanked members for their hard work, and urged them to
endeavour to avoid violence at the polls.
He said the nation had reached a critical stage in her
democracy, and called on contestants in the elections to
accept the election results without any resort to violence.
“There would be losers and winners. Let us try to avoid any
excesses, because we are all striving to serve this
country,” Mr Blay said.
Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, Majority Leader and Minister of
Parliamentary Affairs, said the success of next December
polls and a smooth transition would be an indicator of the
establishment of democracy in Ghana.
He noted that a lot of the success would depend on the
Electoral Commission as well as the goodwill of the
candidates.
Deputy Minority Leader, Doe Adjaho called on the security
agencies to be alert to nip any violence in the bud.
Earlier the House, which approved an amount of GH¢2,218,506,931
to carry out services and expenditure of Government from
January to March 2009, also passed the Education Bill 2008.
The Education Bill seeks to incorporate the lessons learnt
from over 50 years of state control and management of
educational reforms and give substance to Ghana’s
constitutional provisions, which enjoins Government to
‘provide educational facilities at all levels and in all
regions’ and make those facilities available to the
citizenry.
With its 31 clauses, the Bill gives legal backing to the New
Education Reforms and streamlines activities of the teaching
profession in line with international best practices.
Thus, under Clause 9 of the Bill, there would be established
a National Teaching Council to regulate, register and issue
license to professionally qualified teachers.
A Report from Parliamentary Select Committee on Education
Committee held the view that “this would go a long way to
safeguard and protect image of the teaching profession like
other professions”.
The House also passed the Railways Bill, which proposes the
establishment of Railways Development Authority and infusion
of private sector participation into the railways sector.
GNA
|
