Beauty queen calls for improvement in education

Ghana’s Most Beautiful queen Esi has urged stakeholders in the Central Region to immediately introduce measures to address the dwindling standards of education in the Cape Coast metropolis.

She said as a cradle of education in the country, Cape Coast appears to be losing the accolade to social vices.

If not checked, Esi explained, the situation would have adverse effect on the future of the youth and the town as a whole in the near future.

She made this call last weekend during the launch of this year's Oguaa Fetu Afehye themed: ‘Falling Standards of Education in the Cape Coast Metropolis – the Stakeholders' Responsibilities’.

Full name Vera Oheneba Safoah, the beauty queen, who was a special dignitary at the event, expressed worry that Cape Coast hosts most of the renowned and best senior high schools in the country but most indigenes do not attain the required grades at the basic level to make it to these schools.

“It saddens me that we have all the best senior high schools here in Cape Coast but when you go there only a handful of Cape Coasters are found there,” she said, “meaning we are not making use of the opportunity we have here but outsiders are rather doing it.”

She lamented reports of social vices about some children in Cape Coast “which are not the best for a town which is referred to as the cradle of education,” she wailed.

Esi, who is an anti-teenage pregnancy ambassador, also expressed worry about the high incidence of teenage pregnancy, child prostitution, alcoholism and other social vices among children in Cape Coast and called on stakeholders to take measures to curb since they affect their education.

Dwelling on the theme for the launch of this year's Fetu Festival, Esi was optimistic officials from the education directorate will institute moves for proper supervision in the various schools to check teachers and by sodoing instilling discipline in their pupils.

She appealed to parents and guardians to play responsible roles to bring up their wards well for a good future.

She also tasked the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly to have by-laws to check children who are found loitering about during school hours and, more importantly, deal with those found engaging in social vices.

Esi also called on the Oguaa Traditional Council to play its role to support other stakeholders to help save the dwindling and falling standards of education in Cape Coast.

She also used the opportunity to appeal to stakeholders to come to the aid of her Pempamsie Foundation, which is geared towards reducing teenage pregnancy and empowering the youth through mentorship, among others.

This year's Oguaa Fetu Festival will be celebrated from August 28 to September 3 when there will be a durbar of chiefs.