Let's lay strong foundation for children's upbringing - Sackey

Accra, June 21, GNA - Mrs Rosetta Sackey, Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Director of Education, has observed that a stronger foundation of children upbringing would ultimately raise future leaders to impact positively on society. To this end, she said, stakeholders in education should re-double efforts at ensuring that children were provided with relevant and quality education.

Mrs Sackey made the observation at the fourth graduation ceremony of the Harmony International School at Nungua, which graduated 98 children after nine years of basic education at the weekend. The occasion, which attracted parents, guardians and well-wishers of the school from all walks of life, had the theme: "An Enhanced Basic Education - The Pre-requisite for Raising Leaders Who Impact on Society."

The Municipal Education Director noted that since education prepared the individual to live and contribute positively to the progress of society, it ought to change with society to make it more relevant and useful. She underscored the need for the country's educational system to provide adequate resources to ensure quality education for the citizenry. Mrs Sackey told parents that as role models of their children they should not only provide them with their basic needs, but also to take steps to prevent undesirable behavioural patterns among the children.

By so doing, she said, parents would be playing their expected roles in the provision of enhanced basic education for their kids. "If we deny these children basic education, we should know that we have trampled upon their basic and fundamental human rights, and should therefore not to be surprised if they take us on in future when they grow up and realize that we have failed to send them to school," she said.

The Municipal Director indicated that government alone could not solely meet the enormous capital required to provide quality basic education, and therefore asked the general public to supplement government efforts in this direction. Mr Thomas Quartey, Headteacher of the school, said founded Harmony International was founded on September 1, 1998 with an initial pupil population of 92.

He said the goal was to make quality education affordable and accessible to children of school-going age in the community. The school currently has a population of 875 pupils. Mr Quartey said most of the old students of the school were competing favourably with their compatriots in endowed senior high institutions, adding that the best student ever produced by Harmony in the person of Master Maxwell Antwi, was adjudged the best student in Legon Presbyterian Boys Secondary School in the 2007/08 academic year. He said Master Antwi, who scored six "As" and two "Bs" in the senior high school final examinations, was now reading Medicine at the University of Ghana.

The Headteacher commended the Parent-Teacher Association of the school for donating furniture to the junior high department, and constructing toilet and urinal for the school. Mr Quartey said the school aimed at expanding its classroom block as well as procuring another bus to convey its pupils. On the challenges facing the school, he mentioned lack of a good recreational ground, and non-payment of school fees which he said had become a major setback.

Mr Charles Annang Afotey, Founder and Director of the School, commended the graduands for exhibiting a high sense of discipline during their nine-year stay, and urged them to comport themselves wherever they went, in order to become worthy ambassadors of Harmony International School.

Mr S. Y. Dzanie, Assistant Headmaster of Nungua Senior High School in charge of Administration, who chaired the function, called for greater co-operation between parents, guardians and management of school to ensure an effective and smooth running of the school. 2