The Upper East Regional Director of Education, Mr Augustine G. Ayirezang, has called on the top hierarchy of the security agencies to consider during recruitment, a percentage of disciplined young men and women, who traced their roots from the school cadet corps.
The Regional Director made the call during this year’s regional school cadet corps peace route march, organised in Bolgatanga at the weekend under the theme, ‘Security ; the key to peaceful development : The role of the school cadets’.
Buttressing his point, the Regional Director stressed that when this is done, it would not only help inspire and motivate other students to be disciplined in and outside the school environment, but also would ensure that the right people with the required fitness and good backgrounds were recruited into the security services.
Mr Ayirezang also commended the school cadets for collaborating with the prefects, the school security and the teachers in maintaining peace and creating the necessary environment for conducive teaching and learning, and urged them to continue with the good works.
He charged on the leadership of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), to place paramount interest on the activities of cadets in their respective schools, by finding innovative ways of training the cadet patrons, acquiring uniforms for them, including other necessary equipment that would enhance their image in school, especially during national competitions.
While congratulating the ‘Team Cadet’ of the Upper East Region, for emerging first in what is termed as the ‘Steeple Chase’ during the first Northern Cadet Corps Competition held in Tamale, the Regional Director cautioned the school cadets to avoid the abuse of drugs such as tramadol, marijuana and ‘Sisa’.
Citing the instance that reports from the schools disciplinary committees indicated that students are being arrested for stealing within and outside the school community, Mr Ayirezang attributed the upsurge of indiscipline and violence in schools to drug abuse.
The Regional Commander of the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) and head of Prosecution, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Williams Kpormegbe, told the students that among the core values of the cadet include: imbibing morality, discipline, sense of patriotism, hard work and dedication to work into students.
He therefore, entreated the cadets to ensure that the school environment was not used for vandalism and demonstrations. He also cautioned them to stay away from bullying junior students, which he noted, sometimes led to injury or even the death of some students.
The Chief Director of the Regional Coordinating Council, Alhaji Muhammadu Azonko, who stood in for the Upper East Regional Minister, Ms Paulina Patience Abayage, told the cadet corps that no society can thrive well without discipline.
She called on the cadet corps, who were drawn from the 26 second cycle institutions from the 15 municipal and district assemblies across the region, to become ambassadors of discipline in their respective schools and to also be very serious with their books, to enable them climb higher to become responsible citizens.
The school cadet corps, who undertook the route march at the early hours on Saturday morning, throughout the principal streets of the Bolgatanga municipality with brass band music provided by the cadet corps and escorted by the Police and the Ambulance Service, finally converged at the Bolgatanga Jubilee Park, where they were addressed by the various speakers.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, BOLGATANGA
