A High Court Judge, Justice (Mrs) Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, has identified the culture of pleading on behalf of wrongdoers as the main cause of growing in discipline behaviour among individuals, especially the youth.
Such attitude, she said, was an affront to national development and therefore called on the citizenry to desist from it.
Justice (Mrs) Asare-Botwe was speaking at the 65th Speech and Prize-Giving Day and the Passing Out of the 2022 graduates of the Ridge Church School in Accra over the weekend.
Themed “Discipline and character-building lead to success,” the ceremony brought together alumni of the educational institution, parents and other stakeholders to reflect on the successes chalked and the way forward.
According to Justice (Mrs) Asare-Botwe, the family or home from which children came from was the main agent of instilling discipline and that any other form of discipline by teachers, religious leaders and other individuals was a supplementary one.
“It is the duty of parents to instill discipline and principles in their children even before they start schooling. They must be used to being properly directed such that whenever some other person sets out to correct them, they will not find it unusual,”Justice (Mrs) Asare-Botwe said.
“Whatever other discipline the school, church or other person may hand down should only be supplementary to what the home has already started from the foundation,” she continued.
“If we want our children to succeed and turn this nation around, we should desist from the culture of apologising for wrongdoers and allowing due process to take place where there is the need for correction from childhood to adulthood,” she added.
Justice (Mrs) Asare-Botwe urged the graduates to impact the lives of others with the discipline and diligence instilled in them without “cheating or cutting corners”.
On her part, the headmistress of the school, Mrs Nana Ama Acheampomaa Badasu, delivering the school’s annual report covering the period between January to November said it recruited five staff members with four resigning while one death was recorded.
She said 80 percent out of the 91candidates who sat for last years’ Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) obtained grade one to three in five subjectswhile 60 percent obtained same for other subjects with majority gaining admission into their preferred first choice schools.
Mrs Badasu further announced the intention of the school to establish an international day secondary school latest by 2024 while acknowledging the roles played by various individuals in helping the school achieve many successes.
She also highlighted alternative source of electrical power, refurbishment of the schools’ playroom, language laboratory,senior science laboratory and the breakdown of the school bus as challenges faced.
The headmistress charged the graduates to try and learn a skill as they await their BECE results and build networks through the friendship established while in school.
In her closing remarks, the chairperson for the occasion, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei Opare, thanked all stakeholders in ensuring that the children where properly nurtured.
She indicated that she had taken notice of the challenges of the school and would inform the President about it for it to be addressed.
During the ceremony, graduates who numbered 72 and elegantly dressed in suits and African print designed in different styles were called upon and a word of prayer said for them.
Prizes were also presented to students who had distinguished themselves in the area of academics and behaviour, with Kimberly Aguda winning most of them much to the delight of the parents.
Similarly, same was presented to long serving teaching and non teaching staff, subject teaching staff and team leaders.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY & CHARLOTTE BARNS
