The Nabdam District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has engaged basic school pupils and students of second cycle institutions in the area on the Ghanaian value systems and punctuality.
The programme supported by the European Union was aimed at sensitising school pupils and students on the role of the child in contributing to the restoration of the lost Ghanaian value system.
Sensitising the pupils and students at separate fora in the district, the District Director of NCCE, Mr Augustine Akugri, explained that the NCCE decided to undertake that activity because of the continuous breaking down of the Ghanaian value systems which were affecting the growth of the country.
He cited, for instance, that the lack of punctuality of many Ghanaians to work was undermining the country’s productivity, and expressed the hope that the programme would help inculcate into the school pupils and students, the spirit of punctuality and the good value system of the Ghanaian culture.
Mr Akugri said the programme which began in July had so far organised 20 engagements in basic and second cycle schools across the district, and that, out of a total of 2,987 students and pupils who participated in the programme, males constituted 1,329 and females, 1,658.
He admonished school pupils and students to hold on to the invaluable and most cherished values of the Ghanaian as the indoctrination of foreign and Western cultures was eroding the good cultural values of the Ghanaian.
The District Director who took the participants on the values drawn from the Christian and traditional perspectives, told them that as school pupils and students, they could contribute to restoring the Ghanaian values of greeting people, sincerity, patriotism, hard work and strength in self-help spirit, justice and fairness, respect for the elderly, communal spirit, respect for the national symbols and institutions, honesty and integrity, humility, excellence and being disciplined in private and public life as well as being tolerant to one other.
The Senior Civic Education Officer of NCCE, Madam Fatimatu Mohammed, underscored the need for the participants to help protect and safeguard the environment and abstain from bribery and corruption.
She challenged the pupils and students to ensure that their environment was clean, respectful and they obey school rules, stressing that, “The respect we have for our national values distinguishes us as a people or nation in the international scene and we, therefore, need to restore and zealously protect them for our national pride.”
Most of the participants in their responses, mentioned politeness, courtesy, decent and decorum in language among others as some of the good values of the Ghanaian culture and reiterated the need for such values to be restored to help build a better society.
They also entreated all Ghanaians to strictly obey the existing national laws such as the Fourth Republican 1992 Constitution of Ghana and Acts of Parliament, among others.
