ABURI GIRLS STUDENTS RECEIVE HEAD OF STATE'S AWARD (SPREAD)

THE Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has urged the youth to utilise enormous resources, especially ICT, at their disposal to develop their talents and skills to become responsible future leaders.
He said the nation needed the youth to continue with its development agenda and they should, therefore, take advantage of facilities at their disposal to develop their talents and skills to contribute meaningfully to the national agenda.
Speaking at the Head of State Award Scheme at the Aburi Girls’ Senior High School (SHS) on Saturday, he advised them to shun negative practices such as occultism, internet fraud, lesbianism and premarital sex, all of which have the tendency to ruin their lives.
The Head of State Award Scheme, which was introduced in the country in 1967, aims at encouraging young persons 14 years and above to engage in voluntary self-development activities meant to inculcate in students virtues that ensure sound, moral and intellectual development.
The 171 students of Aburi Girls’ SHS who participated in the programme were given silver medals and certificates.
The Regional Minister said lately indiscipline — particularly among the youth, who are the future leaders — had eaten deep into every aspect of society.
He mentioned common acts of indiscipline among the youth to include occultism, breaking of school bounds, pilfering, lesbianism and homosexualism, premarital sex and internet fraud known in local parlance as “Sakawa”.
Mr Ampofo noted that the youth could not grow to become responsible citizens unless they were disciplined.
“Teachers must also adopt proper ways of moulding the character of students to enable them to grow and become good citizens who can contribute meaningfully to the country’s socio-economic development,” he stated.
According to him, since the government recognised education as an effective tool for national development, it was making conscious efforts to ensure that every child of school age, especially the girl-child, had access to affordable and quality education.
“This is why the capitation grant has been increased by 50 per cent and school uniforms will also be provided for pupils at the basic level by September this year,” he stated.
Mr Ampofo added that subsidies for second-cycle institutions would also be reviewed to relieve parents of their financial burdens, saying “all these interventions are being instituted by the government to ensure that schools and students are well resourced to enhance teaching and learning”.
He also appealed to Parent-Teacher Associations to incorporate HIV and AIDS education programmes into the school activities to educate students on the need to abstain from irresponsible sexual lifestyle.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Sport, Nii Nortey Duah, advised the students to avoid bad company and aim high to enable them to achieve their dreams.