Imbibe in The Youth Ghanaian Cultural Values -NCCE

Miss Gladys Mariam Osman, the Deputy Director of Programmes of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) has called on parents and educational institutions to imbibe cultural values in the youth to know much about their socio-political environment

“Positive values engender good character development for the well-being of a nation. The Commission holds the view that positive local values contribute significantly to national development and the success of democratic governance”, she said.

She mentioned of the values that underpin progress and national development as; patriotism, discipline, honesty and integrity, hard work, respect for one another, Ghanaian heritage and national symbols.

Miss Osman said this at the Project Citizen Showcase competition in Bolgatanga, organised by the NCCE for Civic Education Clubs in Senior High Schools in the Upper East Region on the theme, “Restoring our Ghanaian values; the role of the youth.”

The Project Citizen, which is funded by the European Union is one of the flagship programmes of the Commission aimed at inculcating good citizenship among Ghanaians especially the youth.

It is also the Commission’s mandate to deliver civic education such as principles, rights and responsibilities to all segments of the Ghanaian citizenry and was organized for five selected senior high schools in the region.

The Deputy Director who is also the Coordinator for the Project Citizen Programmes nationwide said the incessant indiscipline at all levels and the economic retrogression of the country was due to the neglect of the Ghanaian culture and values, which were basic in achieving socio-economic development.

She said the Project Citizen was meant to expose the youth to critical thinking and analytical approaches to identify societal problems and find solutions to them while, influencing government policies and implementation to boost nation building.

“Youth civic education is crucial to a country’s democratic health and Project Citizen, aims at enhancing civic knowledge and promoting good and active citizenship among students and the youth at large. The knowledge they will acquire would enable them to contribute actively to solving community problems and national development as well as for the job market”, she said.

She said the youth had direct impact on national development and called for collective effort from all stakeholders and well-meaning Ghanaians to restore the national values and involve the youth in developmental processes.

She challenged the youth to be ambitious and cultivate the spirit of team work and co-existence which she said was very critical in nation building and democratic governance.

Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School won this year’s edition of the competition in the Upper East Region with 123.5 points, while Navrongo Senior High placed second with 110 points while Zebila Senior High/Technical was third with 73 points.

Other schools were the Sirigu Senior High, 70 points and Zuarungu Senior High School 61 points.

Mr Apaabey Baba, the Upper East Regional Director of NCCE urged the students to use the opportunity to network and socialise to enable them gain the spirit of nationalism and determination to contribute significantly to national development.

Source: GNA