The Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Alexander Asum-Ahensah, has expressed concern about the refusal to offer courses in History and Cultural Heritage Studies as core subjects in schools and colleges.
He said the integration of these subjects into Social Studies made most students graduate with very little knowledge about the country’s history and culture.
Mr Asum-Ahensah made this known in a speech read for him by Alhaji Ibrahim Tidjani, Director of Administration at the Ministry, at the launch of the Ghana History Book Project at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.
The Ghana History Book Project is a non-Governmental Organization (NGO) based at Agona Swedru.
It aims at promoting cultural heritage in the Central Region and the nation as a whole.
The Minister said the situation of not prioritising the study of history and cultural heritage was unfortunate and doing the nation more harm than good.
He noted that some Universities and other tertiary institutions were also not interested in the subjects, while students pursuing degrees in these areas were often mocked.
According to the Minister, even people who had interest in these areas were often compelled by their parents or guardians to drop them and pursue other programmes they considered lucrative.
“As a nation, we need to change this mindset and begin to appreciate the value of history and cultural and heritage studies as important as any other area of study or discipline,” he said.
He, therefore, urged the leaders of the NGO to collaborate with Ministry of Education to ensure that the project was accepted by the Ghana Education Service for the benefit of the nation.
Nana Oduro Kwarteng, Gyantuahene of Agona Swedru, entreated parents not to let their children shun Ghanaian history and traditions.
He expressed worry that the way Ghanaian children had developed love and passion for foreign culture could spell doom for the nation’s traditions and customs.**
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