Only 8 Institutions Accredited to Run and Award Diplomas and Degrees

The National Accreditation Board says it has so far accredited only eight institutions to run and award communications diplomas and degrees.

The Executive Secretary of the board, Kwame Datteh hinted of stringent measures to weed-out unaccredited institutions.

Our correspondent, Edward Kwabi reports that statistics from the National Accreditation Board indicates less than ten tertiary institutions in the country have been accredited to run courses in communication studies and journalism.

That notwithstanding, over a dozen schools claiming to offer such courses have sprung up throughout the country.

Such institutions resort to aggressive media advertisement wooing students for admission.

Apart from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, the University of Ghana, National Film and Television institute and the University of Cape Coast, the board has also accredited four private institutions to offer communication-related courses

He said plans are underway to prosecute schools awarding tertiary certificates without accreditation.

He explained the accreditation acquisition procedures and time-frame.

Kwame Datteh advised parents and students to verify the status of any school before enrolling.

He called on the public to assist in curbing the menace.

source:TV3 News

Story from Tv3.com.gh

Efua Sutherland Children's Park in a Diplorable State

The Efua Sutherland children's park is in a deplorable state.

The facility lacks modern play games which officials say make it unattractive for children and young people who patronize it.

Our correspondents Baisiwa Dowuona-Hammond and Edward Kwabi examine the state of the major children's recreational facility in the capital and report experts say apart from the fun and emotional fulfillment experience, recreation and leisure is crucial to the develop of the child.

They contend, it also provides children and young people with the freedom and space to explore new things and master new skills.

Unfortunately, very little can be said of the recreational centres in the country.

The Efua Sutherland Children's Park, the major recreational centre is in a poor state.

Since establishment in 1979, the facility has seen no major rehabilitation, making it unattractive.

The park which is under the auspices of the ministry of women and children's affairs lacks modern play equipment and decent toilet facilities.

The basket ball court for instance was near collapse as well as some broken chairs that still sat unattended to.

The only train the facility boasts of was in a deplorable state and officials complained about the rail tracks which is yet to undergo repairs.

Not to mention the makeshift train ticket stations which were completely broken down.

One other thing that caught our attention was the overgrown grass, compounding the poor sanitary conditions around the park.

The scene indeed leaves much to be desired, posing danger to the health and safety of the children.

According to the acting Director at the department of children, ministry of women and children's affairs Peter Eduful, the facility is understaffed, making it difficult to keep it in order.

He however called on corporate bodies and individuals to support the rebuilding of the Efua Sutherland Children's Park.

Author: TV3 News source: www.tv3.com.gh

Mining in Wassa- A threat to lives

Residents of Wassa Amenfi east district in the western region have complained about the alarming operations of galamsey operators in the area.

They are worried; activities of these illegal miners have had a bad effect on sanitation.

Edward Kwabi, our correspondent reports, the situation is a health threat to the community.

The only source of drinking water for the people in the Wassa Amenfi east district, river Ankobrah, is said to be polluted with chemicals from mining activities.

Residents of Adansi, a gold mining community in the district, say their sources of drinking water have been used either as sites for mining or construction.

Due to lack of potable water, inhabitants have no option but to drink the water from Ankobrah.

Illegal miners have rendered roads in the district almost unmotorable.

They mostly leave dugged out holes uncovered which are a threat to the community.

Residents are also apprehensive; some Chinese miners have taken over their land without compensating them.

Residents claimed, the Chinese firm promised them good drinking water and electricity but nothing had come of these promises.

They are aggrieved, mining activities have destroyed their cocoa farms and efforts to have the authorities intervene have proved futile.

Meanwhile the only school in the community is in a deplorable state, with a new one yet to be completed.

Residents are therefore appealing for support from government and NGO's.

Author: TV3 News source: www.tv3.com.gh

DEFINING KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY..............

Generally speaking, the term Knowledge Society refers to any society where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. It may also refer to the use a certain society gives to information. A Knowledge society "creates, shares and uses knowledge for the prosperity and well-being of its people". Knowledge societies have the characteristic that knowledge forms a major component of any human activity. Economic, social, cultural, and all other human activities become dependent on a huge volume of knowledge and information. A knowledge society is one in which knowledge becomes a major creative force.

Knowledge societies are not a new occurrence. For example, fishermen have long shared the knowledge of predicting the weather to their community and this knowledge gets added to the social capital of the community.

What is new is that

• With current technologies, knowledge societies need not be constrained by geographic proximity
• Current technology offers much more possibilities for sharing, archiving and retrieving knowledge

Knowledge has become the most important capital in the present age, and hence the success of any society lies in harnessing it.

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_society

The proposition 'knowledge society' acknowledges the might of the brain power over of any other kind, be it economic or military or political. The position that a country enjoys in the present day world is determined by its ability to make best use of its brainpower. The capability created by knowledge is the foundation upon which our future is to be built.

SOURCE: http://presscouncil.nic.in/speech11.htm

According to New Webster’s Encyclopaedic Dictionary of the English Language (1997 Ed) ‘Information’ is knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance, news. Or "Knowledge gained through study, communication, research, instruction, etc, data, facts.

‘Knowledge’ means acquaintance with fact, truths. "Knowledge is a information combined with experience, context, interpretation, and reflection. It is a high value form of information that is ready to apply to decisions and action. (T. Davenport et al. 1998).

Knowledge exists in the minds of the people and when combined with capital, labour, existing knowledge and other inputs, produces goods and service and is thus a factor of productivity. This fact has been realised by many of the developed countries during their transformation into stronger economies.

SOURCE: http://presscouncil.nic.in/speech11.htm

DEFINING KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY............

Generally, the term Knowledge Society refers to any society where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. It may also refer to the use a certain society gives to information. A Knowledge society "creates, shares and uses knowledge for the prosperity and well-being of its people".

Knowledge societies have the characteristic that knowledge forms a major component of any human activity. Economic, social, cultural, and all other human activities become dependent on a huge volume of knowledge and information. A knowledge society is one in which knowledge becomes a major creative force.

Knowledge societies are not a new occurrence. For example, fishermen have long shared the knowledge of predicting the weather to their community and this knowledge gets added to the social capital of the community.

DEFINING INFORMATION SOCIETY.........

Information society can be viewed as a society in which information technology is transforming every aspect of cultural, political, and social life and which is based on the production and distribution of information. It is characterized by the (1) pervasive influence of IT on home, work, and recreational aspects of the individuals daily routine, (2) stratification into new classes those who are information-rich and those who are information-poor, (3) loosening of the nation state's hold on the lives of individuals and the rise of highly sophisticated criminals who can steal identities and vast sums of money through information related (cyber) crime.
SOURCE: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/information-society.html

Information Society is a term for a society in which the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information has become the most significant economic and cultural activity. An Information Society may be contrasted with societies in which the economic underpinning is primarily Industrial or Agrarian. The machine tools of the Information Society are computers and telecommunications, rather than lathes or ploughs.
The idea of a global Information Society can be viewed in relation to Marshall McLuhan's prediction that the communications media would transform the world into a "global village."
SOURCE: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213588,00.html

Here is a succinct definition from the IBM Community Development Foundation in a 1997 report, "The Net Result - Report of the National Working Party for Social Inclusion."
Information Society: A society characterised by a high level of information intensity in the everyday life of most citizens, in most organisations and workplaces; by the use of common or compatible technology for a wide range of personal, social, educational and business activities, and by the ability to transmit, receive and exchange digital data rapidly between places irrespective of distance.
SOURCE: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213588,00.html

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THEORY (SRT) AND THE LIBERTARIAN THEORY.

Libertarian theory takes the philosophical view that man is rational and able to discern between truth and falsehood and, therefore, can choose between a better and worse alternative. Man is capable of determining his own destiny, and given all the facts will make the right choice. This is where the media is allowed to operate freely due to democracy, freedom to express opinions etc.

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech so that the press can remain fully free, and the public can be fully informed. This freedom may sometimes be hindered by corporate pressures and government control. In countries without freedom of the press, messages are filtered through the government, allowing only what is considered acceptable information to be released to the public.

To combat the pressures that threatened freedom of the press, this theory was first introduced in 1947 and was recommended by the Hutchins Commission on Freedom of the Press. It stated that the media should serve the public, and in order to do so, should remain free of government interference. It defined guidelines that the media should follow in order to fulfill its obligation of serving the public.

There are certain similarities among the social responsibility and the liberitarian theory and these are

• There is private ownership in both libertarian and the SRT theories. In these theories, the media is owned by private individuals without government influence or interference.

• Objectivity: Both libertarian and SRT theories, because of their independence from the government seeks to give out facts as they are (objective truth). This is because of the media or press role as watchdogs to government policies. Also it is the mandatory for the media under social responsibility theory to deliver the right information to it’s publics.

• Under both the libertarian and SRT theories, the press is seen as a source of information and a platform for expressing divergent opinions by the public. This enables the people to monitor government and form ideas about policies.

DIFFERENCES.

• Fairness: SRT is under obligation to to create a forum for divergent viewpoints and opinions. In other words the media gives attention to all ethnic groups, tribes without discrimination. Whilst under the libertarian theory the press is not obliged to do so. It can favor some cultures and be bias to others under the libertarian theory.

• Ethics: Under libertarian theory, because of sensationalism there is lack of ethics of the profession whilst in SRT the media operates on code of conducts: code of ethics.

• Professionalism: SRT operates on professionalism. Training and continuing development of professionals to advance and nature balanced and impartial news presentation. Libertarian theory does not place emphasis on professionalism due to sensationalism leading to yellow journalism practices.

• Accountability: Under SRT the media is charged to deliver on ethics, professionalism, and objectivity hence the public holds them accountable for information given out. But this does not apply to the media under libertarian theory.

• Transparency: SRT as part of its social responsibility is transparent in its operations to the public but this does not apply to the libertarian theory. The libertarian theory is not obliged to be open to the general public in terms of it's operations.