LOSING COMPETENCIES TO ALLIANCE

By: NASRULLAH IBN MUTAWAKIL 

FOSO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 

@WEC SECTOR

0540317575

When you hear the name of Abraham Lincoln, usually what comes to mind is “democracy”. I am talking about “the government of the people, by the people and for the people”. On the other hand, what do you think about when you hear the name of King Tenkamenin? Some readers might say this is gibberish or perhaps this name never existed. Well, that’s based on their best of knowledge.

King Tenkamenin was known as the “people’s king.” He ruled over the old Ghanaian Empire in the 9th century, and was regarded as the father of democracy, both in declaration and in practice. He ruled 1000 years before Abraham Lincoln became president. But thanks to history, the king who died in 1075 was not regarded as the “FATHER OF DEMOCRACY” probably because he was an African. Historians who consider the ancient king as the father of democracy believe that democracy had once been part of Africans before the abolishment of slave trade.

This history gives me the freedom to write on the heading without fear even though the subject matter is like the fly which perches on my scrotum; nobody will tell me to kill that fly with carefulness. I am an African and a fante to be precise. History tells me that my ancestors emigrated from the old Ghanaian Empire and that gives me the impression that my gene is an embodiment of democracy.

I am only stating a genuine concern without any derogatory remarks or whatsoever as an affirmation of our democratic principles.
I do not know the exact people to which the above heading is targeted. Interestingly, I am assured of one thing, the clock is ticking and sooner than we think, 2019 will be here. Again, we will be headed for another delegate congress to elect a new set of leaders to run the affairs of the Teacher Trainees Association. Election matters. Election does not only give us a new set of leaders rather, it also enforces internal democracy within organizations, institutions and so on. Election gives rise to very new beginnings especially one that comes with accountability, hope and justice for all. Election is the weapon of the delegates of an association or the peaceful weapon of citizens. It is only during election that, the voices from our thumb becomes louder than the mouth and for this I now know that I am talking to some delegates out there.

Currently, I feel like I am that old man in the Nigerian proverb which usually goes like “what the old man sees whiles sitting, the child will climb the highest mountain and will see nothing.” I am only 25 years of age and if for nothing at all, I know that in Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana, election is all about alliance. You can be the best candidate for any portfolio in our fraternity but should your alliance fail, you will lose. “This has been the practice of members belonging to the association since the association was established in 1996,” said the ex-officio. The unfortunate response you get when the question, why we need an alliance during elections, is asked.

 Usually when I hear such response, I think about the history of TTAG. I think about the presentations and the misrepresentations. The presentations which we have always known is about the first step of the Trainees agenda to serve as the emancipation tool for the total liberation of the student front. This was started by our brothers from the three Northern Regions with the formation of Association of Teacher Training Colleges in the Northern Sector. I believe that the presentation simply makes us aware of how this initiative began with an “IDEA”. I mean the idea of bringing trainees together without considering the sector (in their case, it was region) they belonged to. It tells us indirectly of how the one who brought the idea led a team of great thinkers to be the pioneers of what has become the association we have today. These great thinkers came from various colleges to form a single unit.

The misrepresentation on the other hand, tells us what today’s generation has been doing. It is like the story of the man who married four wives and had many children. The four wives wanting to achieve marital success for themselves, brought forth the idea of an internal alliance where the first and second wives became great allies while the third and fourth wives also formed theirs. The two separate alliances saw the husband move to either side only when the idea favored his personal interest. The husband who had children out of wedlock, would have to enter into a barter system with either of the two alliances to secure a place for the kids he had out of wedlock.  The alliance favored whichever child was picked to represent either of the alliance without considering the strengths\ competencies they possessed. To be continued…..

As to how this alliance emerged in TTAG, is not known to the current generation and they seem not to care. What seems to be of importance to them is the benefits derived. It is like the goat which thought it was dirtying the wall of its owner until it realized that its coat was peeling off. The idea of alliance of course would have sounded very good to me if I was in the shoes of any candidate but unfortunately this idea has caused enmity amongst some people that I know in some sectors. An alliance that seemed to have been between sectors has now become a thing for inter-colleges. And whoever sowed the seed of alliance, sowed a seed that would gradually create divisions in our association.

The tragedy of our time is that all the ex-officios, if not all, are in support of the idea of alliance without recognizing the disaster we are in, or perhaps we are headed to. They have forgotten that the existence of an alliance curtails that internal democracy we need to enjoy in the association. Competent aspirants who are not able to garner support during primaries automatically have no backing of the sector when they decide to contest at the national front. If they persist with the intention to pick up a form at the national front, with the slightest of mistake, they will be disqualified without enjoying any form of benign consideration.

That is what our association has become today. Every sector wants to have a taste of the highest power and will do anything for it. There is no competition in our national elections. The only competition in our elections is who wins the heart of the odd sector. There is no power in our manifestoes during congress. The only power is the strength of the alliance.
We know culture is the way of life of a group of people but one characteristic of culture we may have forgotten is that, culture is dynamic.

It means culture changes with time. Unfortunately, the culture of our association is yet to change with time. The culture of our association is all about win! win! win! for aspirants who hope to attain a certain portfolio in the associations’ elections. They are the people who will do anything to gain that top notch without considering the mission of our association. They are the people who have so much confidence in the alliance. They are the people who are connected to the instigators of the alliance and like GOD, when the alliance speaks, everything has to bow.

I believe our practice of alliance needs rethinking. I am confident that if people are made to contest for positions at the national level without going through the sector, we will see many competent aspirants contesting for various positions other than two competent aspirants we usually see. We will see a renewed spirit of hope being injected into the association. We will see people vote based on policies and not alliance.  It is on good policies that our association will thrive and achieve it aspirations.

There are people who do not believe that we can take alliance out of our elections. I understand their skepticism. It is like that of the vulture who says that even though its eggs are not edible, it can only be nursed on a high tree because it is hard to trust man. Until we truly adopt that form of self discipline, we would only depend on the alliance as it comes with its future consequences like political infiltrations in our associations.

I wish ourselves well as we ponder over the proverbs of the Yorubas “the dog that wants to get lost refuses to heed to the whistle of the hunter”. Let’s change now!

DRUGS, THE NEW ORDER

Mensah Brobbey Desmond

Enchi College of Education

Taking a stroll in a renowned College of Education in Ghana after a strenuous examination, I came across a well intoxicated group of male students who were returning after what they call a well-deserved night after successfully writing their end of semester examination unable to move their legs, they asked for help. Ignorant about what they had consumed a night before, I gave a helping hand in locating their hall of residence. Upon assuming I came to the conclusion that it had been one of these hard drugs on the markets.

One may be in doubt of the aforementioned scenario and conclude that it is a well fabricated story or an act of fiction to gain recognition after all the emblem of the association even creates the impression that the teacher trainee is the custodian of knowledge. Well report from almost every college of education indicates that trainees are deep rooted in this malignant activity.

To buttress my claim is the statistics from the Ghana Narcotic Control Board which revealed that about fifty thousand (50000) youths in Ghana abuse drugs. The findings further indicated that thirty-five thousand out of the total sum are students in the JHS, SHS and the tertiary institutions of which college Of Education are inclusive.

 These facts have made me passionate to write about drug abuse and the perils associated with the abuse of drugs such as marijuana, tramadol, wee toffee, gutter water, codeine and even sniffing of glue.
Drug abuse is defined as the excessive and self-damaging use of habit forming drugs or substances, leading to addiction.

Commencing, abuse of drugs leads to addiction. Addiction also known as substance use disorder is a disease that affects the brain and behaviour and leads to the inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug. When you are addicted to drugs, you can’t resist the urge to use them, no matter how much harm the drugs may cause.

To add to the aforesaid effect is abusers become poor. When trainees who abuse drugs at this stage become addicted to drugs, they will not hesitate to use their last penny to purchase the drugs. We are in an era where the salary of teachers is nothing to write home about which has even caused teacher unions to agitate for increment in the salaries they earn.

Moreover, drug abuse leads to deteriorating health conditions. Drug abusers don’t know the harm they cause to their health. People who abuse drugs often have one or more associated health issues, which include lung or health disease, stroke among others. Over the years images of X-rays have shown the damaging effects of smoking marijuana and cigarettes on the human brain
Penultimately, drugs lower the reputation of its abusers. If there is anything I will forget in my College days then certainly not the fact that teachers are actually role models. In the light of this trainees will have to keep their reputation intact meanwhile the drug abuse can be a nemesis in ensuring that the reputation of us(trainees) will be dragged in gutters.

Climax, embarrassment on family. Family members may feel ashamed at this behaviour. Family members are bothered by what bothers are unsure on what to do to reform the said abuser
I will draw the curtain down on this article by pleading with abusers of drug on the various campuses on Colleges of Education to take a word or two from this article and turn a new leaf because help effect change in the larger society. How best can we do this if not staying clean from abusing drugs?

Mensah Brobbey Desmond
Enchi College of Education
WEC Sector   

COVENANT IS AN EX-OFFICIO

Written by Nasrullah Ibn Mutawakil,

Foso college of education.
0540317575

Dear Dadzie,

It’s been few days since you assumed the highest office of president. I’m a teacher trainee, so I know my first sentence may sound very ambiguous to readers who are not in our fraternity, but that is okay with me. They ought to know that teacher trainees have their own clique, so my reference to you as president is restricted to only our fraternity (TEACHER TRAINEES ASSOCIATION OF GHANA). If they still do not understand, then they should get this straight; I do not expect any reader to think of you as an Akuffo Addo or a Mahama. You have a long way to go in order to attain such status.

By the way, has the administrative handing-over taken place? If it hasn’t, then let me inform you that you will be driving a Mahindra very soon. That mahindra does not look flashy from the outside however, cruising in it can make you forget that you only have a one-year, one-time tenure of office. I am writing from experience. Did you know that, Brobbey Desmond and I enjoyed a free ride from Kasseh to Ada College of Education during the congress? Interestingly, no police barrier stopped us because that Mahindra had a government number plate. It’s logical if I say that policemen will always assume that anyone driving in that Mahindra is a government official. Dadzie, don’t get flattered because you will soon have the luxury of driving a government car as a non-government official. Kindly ask your elder brother, who is currently an Ex-officio, if you want more information. He is the reason I chose the heading “COVENANT IS AN EX-OFFICIO”.
 “APAM” in the akan dialect literally means covenant. A covenant in English means “to enter into agreement to do something or not to do it”. I know your elder brother’s name is Apam Jonathan. I also believe that, his name has a unique meaning other than the meaning I have shared with you. Dadzie, whether you like it or not, Apam is your elder brother. Both of you may have chosen a different path with respect to “BLOOD RELATIONS,” but certainly, our fraternity makes you two direct brothers from one mother. It is not surprising that prior to the congress, people who did not know you said “Apam will control you”. I have known your brother from afar, but if anyone should ask me about him, I could write an entire book on his leadership skills only. He was a fine leader. He was very smart, but he had his flaws, so I suggest you do not take it all from him.

Dadzie, usually Africans are often perceived to be people who talk about other people’s flaws. Consequently, I have chosen to justify that perception by stating one of your brother’s flaws. When your brother was alive, I mean, when he led the association, he had forgotten that the Akans literally translated his name as covenant, which meant to enter into agreement to do something. One reason my forefathers from Foso College of Education voted for him at Komenda congress was to ensure effective communication between them. That was the covenant all the voters had with him. Did he honour it? No! He didn’t. He is the reason why all trainees felt that his administration was in bed with the National Teaching Council (NTC).

Most trainees did not expect his administration to solve all their problems for them. They didn't see him as "God." Therefore, they only expected his leadership to set priorities that could give all trainees a good opportunity to a better life in their fraternity. He failed to do so. If he had considered the needs of his fellow trainees, they would not have been upset at the introduction of the licensure exams he had no influence on. Truth is, trainees like the rationale behind the licensure exams but their problem was how a licensure exam proposed in 1948, resurfaced in 2018 without proper documentation, implementation and communication.

 Let’s forget about the documentations and implementations but with respect to communication, we cannot do away with it. Ensuring effective communication was the main reason people voted for your brother. In the song titled “Poetic justice” by Kendrick Lamar and Drake, Drake said that, “communication ruled a nation.” Yes! Communication rules a nation.

Communication also rules a relationship. You can ask your girlfriend if you doubt it. Why couldn’t he allow communication to rule our association? Your brother left all trainees in a quandary of what the future held for them. For once, trainees were not upset with government, but rather, they were frustrated at your brother and his relatives of which you were part for not communicating such a pertinent information to them as early as possible.

They were angry because he made trainees treat such a serious information as rumour until the unexpected hit them.

Today, Apam is an ex-officio. He is no longer the president of TTAG. He will no longer drive the Mahindra he drove from Pusiga to Ada again. Unless it is your wish to offer him a free ride. He would not be able to book an appointment with the vice-president of Ghana again to discuss the plights of  teacher trainees. Apam Jonathan is now “Harry Potter without a magic wand” or perhaps a “Jet Li with no kung fu skills”.

The time is Dadzie o’clock. You will reign for a year and after your tenure, you will either be blessed or cursed. Similar to what your elder brother experienced when he posted a picture of you on August 30th, 2018 at 2:37pm. He presented you to the members of the “talk and chalk” fraternity on his facebook wall. You can go and check for yourself if you want to know more.
Dadzie, the only way you can be a great president of TTAG, if not the best, is to ensure effective communication among your followers. The stories of ananse usually ends with the adage “Nti Kumah does not sit and doze off on the tree from which his father, Ananse fell and died”.  Mr. president, you don’t have to run to the funeral of your elder brother knowing very well that he stumbled on a stone, fell, and died as a result. The wisdom is, you will die if you run. The death of your tenure is inevitable, so you need to watch your steps carefully to avoid stumbling on a stone, or else you will die prematurely.

Sooner than later, the licensure exams will be news of the past, however, what seems to be looming is the idea of “TEACHER TRAINEES DOING A NATIONAL SERVICE”. Teacher trainees have heard about the news already nevertheless, they are treating the news as rumour. They expect you to break the news to them and not the government or the media. They expect you to ask them what they think the way forward should be. But that does not mean you should go to facebook and use your personal  facebook wall to seek their opinion. Your association has enough money to create a website. Use the funds to create a website which has a portal where trainees can share their views, suggestions, and criticisms. You cannot meet trainees individually to seek their opinions, but it is also imperative that you involve them in making decisions. Don’t involve your elder brother and his relatives “ONLY” thinking that they have the necessary experience. Experience wouldn’t be the basis to protect you from the curses that might be thrown against you, just as they were showered on your brother. Any time you think of going to Apam, please know that your critics also live at the junction.

Dadzie, as I end here, I humbly request that you pay heed to the voices of old folks who said that, “the sheabutter that is gloating over the ill-fated salt because of a heavy downpour, only fortifies itself with ice before the sun rises.” Remember that you will eventually handover the Mahindra and go back to walking barefooted, as you used to do. Please do not get intoxicated by power, and anytime you feel power-drunk, just remember that, “COVENANT IS AN EX-OFFICIO”.

Yours sincerely,

Nasrullah Ibn Mutawakil,

Foso college of education.

@wec sector. 

LOVE LETTER TO TTAG NATIONAL WOMEN’S COMMISSIONER.

Written by Nasrullah Ibn Mutawakil (0540317575 / 0572677080

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Dear Margaret, 

I’m sure many will be wondering why a letter which is meant to show affection for you will be made public. Well, I am making this letter open to all in order to ward of some competitions that I might probably face. One of my biggest competitors or threat is your current boss Mr. Anthony Dadzie who is currently the national president of TTAG. I understand the nature of your work as a women’s commissioner for such an honorable association and it makes a lot sense if I should say that, your administrative boyfriend is your boss ‘’the president of TTAG’’. 

Margaret, before I continue with what I intend to tell you, permit me to say that I know your stance between me and your administrative boyfriend. And until your tenure of office ends, I will patiently bear the pain of having lost you to another handsome man. 

Nothing makes me happier than the sight of you in a happy and jubilant mood like that of your inauguration after what I call a successful election at Ada college of education. When I saw that big smile on your face after the declaration, I asked myself one question. Was the election her biggest test? I am not so sure it was. But certainly, it was a test you would not want to fail. You see, accepting the onerous responsibility of a women’s commissioner is not a joke and so, I want you to pay a lot of attention on the pageantry.  Maggie, for me, the pageantry is your biggest test. That thing you people call women empowerment is the reason I am writing this love letter to you.

All over the world, many feminists are preaching women empowerment. My view on women empowerment is, real women empowerment begins with clearing those cobwebs in the minds of our women who think that men are better than them. Anyway, do not get me wrong for I do not intend to say that, women are equal to men. Rather, they both support each other to achieve their personal and societal aspirations. And so, empowering women to take up bigger roles in our society which hitherto was only meant for men, is a good thing.

 My question is, what is the idea of women empowerment in TTAG? Is it the pageantry, that is to crown beautiful ladies? Or to give these ladies from our colleges the chance to gain the status of a queen at the national level?

Maggie, your association’s idea on women empowerment is to put beautiful crowns on the heads of some pretty ladies. And they do so by organizing what you call MISS TTAG; to entertain the men for more than 5 to 6 hours and that is all. These ladies will go about feeling good in a royal crown for one year until their time is up to pass the baton for the next generation to run their lap of the relay. Their impact is not felt in the society and even the association.  If for nothing at all, I would say that I have seen two beautiful ladies who have once been crowned queen of your dear association. Their names are miss Bilobi Delphina Jentina and miss Bridget Ansu. 

The latter, who I do not know and so I would not talk about her. But for Delphina, I have known her for 2years. She happens to be the former women’s commissioner for Foso College of Education and a MISS TTAG as well. Apart from Delphina showing off her prestigious crown, she managed to form an NGO by the name ‘’WOSO’’. This organization which I believe she formed as part of her project, seeks to empower the females and children in our society.  The last time I heard about WOSO, wasn’t the day their leadership hanged around the AQUA SAFARI at Ada. Rather it was the day they made some donations to some deprived children in some primary school. Her sponsorship doesn’t come from the coffers of TTAG and so her organization ceases to function the moment she has no source of funding. She does everything on her own. I would not blame the former queens if they have not been able to come up with a very substantive project like that of miss Bilobi. My reason is simple. “If the there is not there, you can’t force the there to be there” the unusual words spewed by some learned wee smokers. And so it could be that, other queens did not have the means to.

Maggie, that idea of using pageantry to empower women is not wrong. But I dare say that, it has fallen below the standards. Talk about the motto of your association “a model for development” and you will realize that your annually organized pageantry is one that cannot be a model for some associations. And so, MISS TTAG, at the moment is not a model for development. Am sure others might have an opposing view but that’s okay. The Yoruba’s say that, “a child who hasn’t been to the farm of another man, thinks that his father has the largest farm.” 

Do you watch MISS GHANA? Or MISS MALAIKA? Or let’s say, MISS WORLD? You see any of these pageantry can be likened to yours except that, your MISS TTAG usually ends with no impact on your association and our society. Those pageantry which I asked you about, over the years, have had their organizers develop a good brand for them. Hence making it very attractive to; not only the public, but to investors as well. And they continually make good impact on our societies.

 Even though you may like the idea of organizing a pageantry, you wish it was either one by the name MISS GHANA OR MISS MAILAIKA. What’s in a name? Shakespeare once asked. A name is more than an identity. There is so much power in a name. this can only be achieved if you have an able team. A team that understand the power of branding. A team that thinks in my direction. The direction of we,  REDEFINING OUR PAGEANTRY. Until this is done, It will always be MISS TTAG with little or no positive impact on our society or association. 

Maggie the truth is, now, you need time to consult your predecessors, the past queens and maybe those who contested you at all levels. They can help you build a team. A solid team for that matter. A team that will, in the end, help your administrative boyfriend have a very successful tenure.

Just as our adage goes, an elder who allows children to eat python will not be left out if the list of python eaters is made. That means that you won’t be left out if your administration is praised.

That will be all for now.

Yours sincerely,

Nasrullah Ibn Mutawakil.

@wec-sector.

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