ACADEMIC INDISCIPLINE

ACADEMIC INDISCIPLINE- “Ahaa learning” Students are still hit by learning pathology “Ahaa Learning”. This tragedy is traceable in history of learning from Crèche-University. from Childhood-Adulthood and from A-Z. What do we see? We often see students flipping through notes when it’s about minutes to Exams room. In fact/ 30 minutes is associated with problems-“Ahaa Learning” Avoid last minute “Apoo” and fully take greater chances of moment. “Cras Cras lingua est”- Tomorrow Tomorrow is a language of a crow. The world moves on the wheel of ideas-no single output is universally satisfactory. Students come from exam room, make references to their notes and have only a word to say – Who can guess? “Ahaa” This is/was all the questions is/was about. This is the moment of most excruciating agony to students. The daily misconducts of students are worrisome and damnable. Paradoxically, can students please their teaches? –Give rational argument. THOUGH students` power of choice does not mean, they will refrain from judging their teaches` decision. Justice is awaiting the unrepented students who reject rules, regulations and ignore DISCIPLINE. DISCIPLINE would rise to control the future. It seems logical that students` time frame must conform to timing which may be Viewed in the statement of MOSES` last words about DAN, prior to his Death seems devoid of blessing. However, the statement holds profound meaning meant for Sisters and Brothers of SOLOMON. PROPHESY is to be approached with the greatest sincerity. “AHAA” (Deut. 18:20, Jeremiah: 28:9, Zech: 13:3) “AHAA”-Action Hidden Appears Awry You are laughing-Both Teachers and students who are vulnerable? Teachers and Students who are to take greater chances of moment? The message I could leave behind for “THOUGHT” is just four-letter word “AHAA” WORD FOR THOUGHT

THE IMPORTANCE OF STANDARDS NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

There is no gainsaying the fact that standards have become such an integral part of our existence that the average individual gives little or no thought to everyday products and services and how they work. Imagine our frustration if light bulbs did not fit into lamps or if there were no common sizes for clothing or common-sized spark plugs for automobiles or if trains could not move from one country to another because the tracks were a different gauge? According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, standard is a fixed official rule for measuring weight, purity, value etc. We can, therefore, infer from the above that standards are recognized units of comparison by which the appropriateness of others can be determined. This essay will, in essence, focus on the importance of standards in the following areas of national development. Food and Drugs, Education and Health, Business and Industry, Science and Technology, Telecommunication and Construction. In recent times, public outcry over food and drug safety has increased drastically thus, the need for standards that address Food and Drug safety has become more compelling than ever before. It is against this backdrop that Ghana Standards Authority, as part of its numerous functions, ensures the wholesomeness of food by testing samples of food substances to see if any contaminants are present. Remedial measures are taken to address the anomalies that may be detected. In their periodic inspections when they come across products that are detrimental to both human and animal health, such products are irretrievably destroyed. The Standards Authority also ensures that Foods and Drugs are properly labeled for easy identification and personal preferences. Mandatory standards are set for meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, pharmaceutical products and herbal medicine. Can one imagine the consequences of consuming unwholesome food or expired drugs? Apparently, it can lead to food poisoning, ill-health and sometimes death. This situation gives rise to serious ramifications such as low productivity and the use of hard currency in the importation of drugs which could have otherwise been used for developmental pursuits. In modern times, communication standards have become increasingly indispensable for national development, especially, in the areas of defence, emergencies and disaster responses. By way of illustration, on September 11, 2001, the tragic event that occurred at the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon which claimed thousands of lives was partly influenced by the inability of many emergency response agencies to communicate due to the use of different communication equipment and frequencies. This assertion was corroborated by no mean a person than Mr. Allen Beckett, the principal Assistant Deputy under Secretary of Defence for Logistics and Material Readiness. “Because of the unfortunate lessons learnt at the Pentagon and the World Trade Centre, Local, State and Federal emergency agencies are all looking to universally accepted inter-operability standards and equipment to enable radio and telephone communication…between responding units”. But for standardization, communication among telecommunication networks in Ghana would have been problematic if not impossible, that is why the Standards Authority imposes sanctions on the networks that do not conform to standards. The standards organizations are continuing to refine and improve the existing standards in the Health and Education sectors. It is in the light of this that the equipment used in our various health institutions have been standardized. Fro instance, the thermometers that are used in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital are the same as those used at Sunyani Regional Hospital. Besides, procedures used in one hospital are applicable to all other health institutions globally. Thus, referrals are made to higher health care facilities without much difficulties. Without observance of and adherence to standards one can imagine the unnecessary problems that could arise: There will definitely be discrepancies in the patient’s medical history which will lead to needless and avoidable deaths. It is truism that in the sphere of education a great deal of attention is focused on standards. This is made evident by the use of the same syllabi for all students/pupil at the same level of education throughout the country. This ensures uniformity and consequently oils the wheels of occupational mobility. Standards give birth to sterling quality and efficiency. This explains why the National Accreditation was put in place to regulate and monitor the emergence of tertiary institutions. When it comes to business and industry, the role standards play cannot be over-emphasized. By ensuring that standards are an integral part of their corporate business strategy, companies realize benefits. Standardization improves efficiency in design, development and material acquisition. It also ensures that money, manpower time, natural resources are conserved by minimizing the number of sizes, the variety of processes the amount of stock and the paper work that largely accounts for the overhead cost of manufacturing and selling products. By using standardized parts , manufacturers are able to reduce their cost by being able to choose from multiples source of supply rather than having to rely on customized materials or parts . Standards make mass productions possible, lower the cost of research and development and speed up manufacturing process. . Using standards designers can be confident that they are designing products that embody recognize practices and improve levels of safety. Technical risks are minimized by using component that are proven to work for the intended applications. By making possible large scale productions of standard designs, standards encourage better tooling, more carefully designed and more precise controls thereby reducing the production of effective surplus pieces. There is no contradicting the fact that adherence to standards does not only assure the quality of goods purchased and services received by the consumer but also provide value for money. Should disputes arise, standards provide a framework within which remedies can be found. Standards have drastically reduced the restriction of exports of processes, products or services caused by technical barriers to trade. For example, arbitrary product requirement. Thus, standards prevents non – tariff barriers to trade by harmonizing requirements in a manner that promote fair competition without harmonization, equivalent and mutual recognition trade activities will be severely hampered. The indispensable role played by standards in the fields of science and technology can neither be understated nor over-emphasized. Standards act as a reliable means for technology transfer since standards encompass the results of advances in science, technology and experience; they reflect the state of the art in technical development. Standardization is a dynamic process; standards are updated as new technologies are developed. The loss of precious lives as a result of sub-standard infrastructure cannot be lost on us. This indisputably underscores the need for us to religiously conform to standards in the construction industry. In building and civil engineering, the use of appropriate quantities of cement and steel to achieve a required strength are recommended in building standards and codes of practices. Non-compliance with standards has always been a recipe for disaster. This is epitomized by the catastrophic collapse of a mighty building at the O.A. bus terminal in Kumasi. The refusal of contactors to abide by specifications in the execution of construction projects always create a situation where the government has to mobilize money to rehabilitate the buildings on account of the fact that they become dilapidated prematurely. This inevitably makes scury inroads into government limited budgetary resources. Preserving nature from damage constitutes one of the most important objectives of standardization. The essence of this approach is to prevent damage caused during the manufacture of a product or during its loss or during its disposal after use. For instance, the use of a washing machine for domestic purposes to generate only a minimum of pollutants. Besides, refrigeration and other domestic gadgets that contain Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) have been banned as result of the havoc posed to the environment. In Ghana, the use of toxic chemicals for fishing or hunting is not allowed. This is to ensure that fishing and hunting are carried out in conformity with acceptable health standards. In a nutshell, standards offer benefits to all segments of society. Standards simplify production, development, reduce unnecessary duplication, lower costs, increase productivity, promote safety, and permit inter-changeability, compatibility and inter-operability. Standards also link all components of projects, in time, to form one homogenous entity which makes it much more easily understood, easier to understand in future and much more easily maintained. Everyone admits that creating standards for everything is no trivial task but yields productive results. REFERENCES 1. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. New Edition 2. Google search 3. www.answers.com 4. www.wikipeadia.com 5. www.gsa.gov.gh 6. www.iso.org