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Aviation Flying School For Ghana
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- Category: The ClassRoom
- Created on Wednesday, 06 July 2011 00:00
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Aviation Flying School For Ghana
Young Ghanaians and nationals of other countries who desire world-class and affordable commercial pilot training can now have a good place to realize their dreams following the establishment of Mish Aviation Flying School at Tema Community 22.
The first private aviation school in West Africa plans to train Senior High School graduates into full commercial pilots. Prospective students need credits in Mathematics and English plus passes in any three other subjects to qualify for training at Mish Aviation.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the premier flight training organization, Captian Ibrahim K. Mshelia, told the media that his outfit would be offering training in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) syllabus. FAA is an operating mode of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“We will maintain the highest standards of safety, and excellence in pilot training needed to prepare student pilots for a challenging and exciting career in aviation,” the CEO stated, adding that the first set of student-pilots will resume classes in August 2011.
“In fact even if you have passes in Mathematics and English and you do well at the interview you can still qualify,” Captian Mshelia added.
Captian Mshelia put the cost of training at the school at $58,652 per head for a period of between 12 and 18 months, or maximum two years depending on the intelligence of the student.
He said with the current capacity Mish Aviation could train about 40 pilots every season and increase to 50 per season when it acquires its own airstrip in the future.
“We have our own four SESNA 172 aircraft which is the best for training in the world and – two of them are already in the country and the other two would arrive soon,” he disclosed.
There is also a simulated aircraft on campus which is a full aircraft for training except it can’t fly.
Captian Mshelia said Mish Aviation chose Ghana because of the of the oil and gas find, English language and the fact that Ghana is the second largest country in the sub-region.
“The oil and gas industry needs aviation to be sustained and English language is the basis of the aviation industry so everything seem to fall in place for the school to be located in Ghana , besides I worked in Ghana as a pilot in the 1990s,” he said.
Capt. Mshelia said the cost was relatively low because the school got huge tax waivers on the import of four SESNA 172 Aircraft, equipment and aviation gasoline needed for the training.
“But the cost could go up depending on inflation and the student’s own performance – the more a student goes through practical work the more fuel spent on him or her so the cost of that particular student will go up,” he said.
Capt. Mshelia however assured the public that the cost was worth it because “excellence is our hallmark and we have the passion and the expertise to train people into full commercial pilots such that when they leave Mish Aviation Flying School they go straight into commercial piloting for a fee.”
He said the school was also prepared to give primary level training to military pilot.
Capt. Mshelia said so far there has been more than 200 enquires from 40 countries, adding that Mish Aviation has a character vetting mechanism for international students to guard against terrorists gaining admission into the school.
“We are working closely with the security agencies in Ghana to check the background of international students so that we can train only gentlemen and not terrorists,” he said.
Mish Aviation was registered in 2006 to undertake the business of Air Transport, Aviation Personnel and Flight Training and Aviation Consultancy Services.
The company also undertakes domestic schedule operation and charter in partnership with its affiliate, Africa Contracts and Equipment Ltd.
Mish Aaviation Flying School received approval from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in May, this year to train pilots to the commercial flying level.
By Felix Dela Klutse
Source: Daily Guide/Ghana
No commentsBetty Mould defends 'skyrocketing' cost of classroom projects
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- Created on Wednesday, 08 June 2011 00:00
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Betty Mould defends 'skyrocketing' cost of classroom projects
Education Minister, Betty Mould Iddrisu has proffered a strong defence for alleged high cost of new
six-classroom blocks built across the country in the last two years.
Figures released by the Education Ministry indicate that a six-classroom block cost between GHS250,000 and GHS270,000.
The figures appear too exorbitant for the Minority in Parliament who demanded explanations from the sector minister on the floor of the house.
They claimed that at a time when government spokespersons were trumpeting a fall in interest and inflation rates, such reported hikes in construction cost could not be justified.
“In 2008, a six classroom unit with an office, staff common room, a store, a toilet facility all attached was at the cost of GHS84,000. The Hon minister is now telling us here that in the Ashanti Region the average cost is now over 261,000.
Inflation we are told is declining and we have a single digit; we are told the currency is stable and at a point was even appreciating against major currencies with all these favourable conditions what has resulted in the over 200 percent increase in the cost of such a facility? One of the minority members demanded in Parliament.
The Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also challenged the figures by the Education Minister.
According to him, a similar six-classroom block built only recently by Newmont Ghana and donated to a community was at a cost of GHS68,000.
The Minority Leader was even more disappointed with the fact that a number of the structures which were built at this high cost had their roofs ripped off after a rainstorm in the Northern Region.
He said most old structures in the same vicinity had their roofs perfectly on.
But Betty Mould Iddrissu insisted the cost of the structures was justified.
These figures have been prepared by experts; they have been prepared by consultants both at the Ministry of Education and the Government's AESL (Architectural and Engineering Services Limited). And these are the figures we have, she argued.
She explained the cost per a six-classroom block depended on the materials used in the construction and the region it is located.
In the Brong Ahafo it is GHS263,956.84; in the Western Region it is GHS273,58.80 in the Ashanti Region it GHS261,681.35. In the Central Region it is 260,343.30, she explained.
Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana
Betty Mould calls for national debate on financing education
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- Created on Monday, 30 May 2011 00:00
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Betty Mould calls for national debate on financing education
{sidebar id=10 align=right}Education Minister Betty Mould Iddrisu has called for a national debate on financing education in the country.
Ghana spends over nine percent of its GDP on education, three percent more than the average worldwide.
Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show, Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu said the current state financing structure is not sustainable.
I have asked my colleagues at the ministry to design a debate over this year on how [we can] finance education in Ghana. Where are we going to? Can we continue in what is clearly an unsustainable manner in financing education?†she asked.
The minister said while the government has more than lived up to its responsibilities,for example, in terms of university education, can we continue not only giving almost free university, tertiary education but also providing students loans.
A report released by the Ghana Education Service this month indicates that 64 per cent of pupils across the country cannot read and write.
Responding to the report, the Education Minister said her minister will soon set up two education councils to regulate teaching standards and also oversee the decentralization of education in the country.
Source: Joy News/Ghana
44.8% Graduates Jobless - Report
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- Category: Youth News
- Created on Thursday, 16 June 2011 00:00
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44.8% Graduates Jobless - Report
{sidebar id=11 align=right}44.8 percent of graduates from the universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions are said to be jobless, a new report has revealed.
These graduates are believed to be in the age bracket of 22 and 25, a study conducted by Dr. William Baah-Boateng, a labour economist and senior lecturer at the Department of Economics, the University of Ghana has disclosed.
The study was based on 2006 findings, but the number of jobless graduates is said to have gone up following the implementation of the fiscal stabilization programme, spanning 2008 to 2012.
However, most of the jobs created during the period are vulnerable with limited or no social protection, the study indicated. Vulnerable employment has declined but still remains high.
Yearly, graduates estimated to be in the region of 50,000 come out of the country’s tertiary institutions searching for jobs. This excludes those from the senior high school and the junior high schools, who number over 300,000.
Speaking in an interview with CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE after presenting a paper on the country’s unemployment rate and international competitiveness at a seminar organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) supported by the United Nations Development Planning, Dr. Baah Boateng said the country’s new middle income status is expected to be translated into the creation of productive and decent jobs else the economy will suffer.
He was optimistic that these graduates will find jobs after four years, noting some of these graduates do not even know where to go and find jobs. In 2006, about 2.6 million Ghanaians were not working or were jobless with some deciding not to work.
Nana Owusu Afari, President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), who also made a presentation, noted that industries do not need second and third degrees, urging young graduates to acquire skills and experience before doing so.
He urged government to support the training of graduates, adding that industry can only offer short courses and not the entire training programmes.
On competitiveness, Dr. Baah-Boateng said the inability of local expertise to compete effectively in the global platform impedes the country’s ability to create jobs and improve the welfare of Ghanaians.
“This could undermine the country’s potential of achieving the Millennium Development Goals 1 of eradicating poverty and hunger, and providing productive and decent employment for all.
The IEA paper was entitled Moving Towards Middle Income Country (MIC) Status: Potential Implications for Development Assistance and Achievement of MDGs in Ghana.
Source: Business Guide
Danso-Boafo Worried About Ghanaian Youth Killings In The UK
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- Created on Sunday, 18 April 2010 00:00
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Danso-Boafo Worried About Ghanaian Youth Killings In The UK
Nana Sifa Twum - London
The Ghana High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo has expressed grave concern about the rate at which Ghanaian youths were involved in criminal activities in the UK especially in the London.
He has therefore indicated the urgent need for the Mission to collaborate with all stakeholders in the training and development of the Ghanaian youth in the UK to institute pragmatic measures to help reverse the trend as immediate as possible.
The killing of the aspiring professional footballer, Godwin Nii Lawson as the latest Ghanaian teenager to be stabbed in the UK sparked the concerns of Professor Danso-Boafo at a brief interaction with the media during which the High Commissioner called on all to help arrest the situation.
Lawson was killed by a countryman Moise Avorgah. The spate of Ghanaian involvement in the knife culture in the UK either as victims or offenders is alarming. Last year, a Ghanaian teenager Katakyie Addae-Kodua, was among eight teenagers in a gang called the “Smooth Money Makers who were sentenced to between two and four years each for attacking and robbing terrified Tube and bus passengers. Another Ghanaian teenager resident in London, Kobina Essel, just last month was also sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a Matalan Stores Manager.
Two other Ghanaians Duane Owusu, 20, and Randy Osei-Owusu, 17 who were among six accomplices, were also sentenced to eight years and six years respectively.
In July 2009 two teenage Ghanaian brothers residing in the United Kingdom with their parents George Amponsah, 19 and his brother Freddie Amponsah, were jailed for life by a court in London after finding them guilty of the murder of another teenager.
They were part of a gang of six who murdered an innocent army cadet and a model pupil Shaquille Smith, 14.
An endless list of knife and gun crime victims as well as the high number of offenders in the UK who are Ghanaians have hyped the genuine concern of many a Ghanaian and the High Commissioner's called is deemed by the Ghanaian community as timely and welcome.
In the minds of many of the community members, the sudden deaths of some enterprising Ghanaians who fell victim to the knife and gun crime in the UK are still fresh.
The death of a 26-year-old Ghanaian victim who was stabbed in Croydon, south London, while on his way to nearby Mayday Hospital where his wife had given birth and the renowned Medical Doctor, Victoria Anyetei, 56, who was also killed on her driveway in August 2008 are just but a few of the number of victims.
The Ghanaian armature boxer John "King" Abbey, a teenager Frederick Moody stabbed in London in in early 2009, and David Quartey, 22, were all Ghanaians who fell victims to knife crime in London between 2006 and now.
Another Ghanaian Charles Anokye was found guilty of murdering Abbey by a London court.
Prof. Danso-Boafo said he was very much disturbed with these developments which he said tarnished the image of the Ghanaian community in the UK. He advised Ghanaian parents to pay more attention to their childre's welfare and upbringing to ensure they stayed away from criminal activities.
Professor Danso-Boafo stated that teenage years were very delicate periods in a child’s life and that it was the responsibility of parents to put in place strong parental control systems and to monitor the movement of their wards at all times to ensure their safety and well being.
He disclosed that the High Commission planned to hold a Ghanaian youth forum in London during the summer. The forum would provide the youth with the opportunity to interact with colleagues on a single platform to share their experiences and to seek mentorship with established role models.
The High Commissioner said the Ghana High Commission was ready to facilitate mentorship programmes and provide facilities to guide the youth to enable them to lead responsible live style in the UK. He reiterated the importance of education and urged the youth to take their studies seriously and to stay away from deviant behaviour.
Prof. Danso-Boafo recounted that in the recent past another Ghanaian, Kobina Essel was sentenced to life imprisonment, whilst his two other Ghanaian accomplices received various prison terms for their involvement in a murder case last year.
The Ghanaian Envoy expressed the hope that the youth forum and his other regular out reach programmes would link Ghanaian youths with Progressive Ghanaian Associations and other Social Groups who could provide them with advice and counseling.
The High Commissioner advised those youths who are serious with their education and leading a positive life to be guided by what he described as the Ghanaian culture and values, strive to discipline themselves and to behave as good citizens wherever they find themselves."
Source: Nana Sifa Twum - London