Character devt should match academic standards

Accra, Dec. 11, GNA - Government's efforts to raise the falling standards in education is laudable but it should go side by side with sound character development among the youth, Mr Fred Reimmer, immediate past National President of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), said in Accra on Saturday. He said the youth needed direction without which academic excellence would amount to nothing and urged stakeholders in character development to identify the canker and arrest it.

Mr Reimmer was speaking at the 17th triennial council meeting of the YMCA, Ghana, on the theme: "Striving For Self Reliance and Sustainability". There were delegates from the regions. He said it was common sight today to see the youth engaged in all kinds of social vices, saying they now patronised drinking halls, assaulted public officials and engaged in drug trafficking, breaking laid down regulations. Mr Reimmer said programmes that were entertaining, refreshing, attractive enough to engage the attention of the youth would help keep them away from such anti social activities. He said the Ghana YMCA had for the past years been crusading in educating young people about the dangers in adopting anti-social habits and to make informed choices, because YMCA's focal commitment as an organisation was the youth. He said the battle against HIV/AIDS was still young and urged members to intensify the campaign against it.

Mr Samuel H. E. Anim, National General Secretary said the broad goal for working for self-reliance was broken into practical and achievable objectives such as enhancing and projecting the image of the YMCA in the Ghanaian community and improving the resource base of the Association through manpower development, capacity building and income generation. He said since 2004 the Association's vocational training centre had been changed to the Ghana YMCA Technical Training Centre, with the introduction of new courses in draughtsmanship and construction. Mr Anim said renovation works and refurbishment of the Association's hostel in Accra and guesthouses was progressing. He announced that the YMCA would celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2006 and added that the Association would soon launch its own website.