Cadets must be role models among peers - Rashid

Accra, Feb. 26 GNA - Mr. Rashid Bawa, Acting Minister of State for Education, Youth and Sports on Saturday, said student cadets be role models among their peers. They should be in the forefront in protecting life and property in their schools and institutions by supporting the law enforcement agencies and school authorities in curbing disturbances on campuses.

Mr. Bawa's speech was read for him at the 4th Schools Cadet Corps Parade, which formed part of activities marking this years' Black History Month in Accra. The colourful parade, which was mounted, by five Non-commissioned Officers and 98 cadets was reviewed by Mr. Nicholas Nii Tetteh Amartefio, National Cadet Co-coordinator. Cadets from schools including O'Reilly, Labone, Wesley Grammar, Christian Methodist, St. Johns Grammar and Ebenezer Senior Secondary Schools took part in the parade.

Mr Bawa called on students to use their spare time judiciously as well as to take personal initiatives to become successful in future. "No matter how efficient and effective a teacher may be in the classroom you need to put in your maximum effort to enable you achieve good results. If you do not take the initiative to learn on your own, you may waste many years at school" he added. Mr. Bawa said the government would come out soon with a technical body to administer school cadet corps in the country. He said government was committed to the programme and had already supported 150 schools to have cadets numbering 5,000 in the country, adding that, a memorandum of understanding had been signed between the Ghana Cadet Corps and the Metropolitan Cadets of the United Kingdom to strengthen co-operation among the two countries as well as an exchange programme.

Mr William Hrisir-Quaye, Director of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park said February every year had been set aside worldwide as Black History Month to celebrate the contribution of black people to the development of the world. He said the occasion was to sensitise the youth on the need to espouse the Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama's campaign for greater discipline since they were the future leaders of the country. Earlier, Mr Tetteh Amartefio laid a wreath in memory of the soul of departed Africans on behalf of the Minister and the people of Ghana.