Parents advised to prioritize early childhood education

Professor Yaw Oheneba Sakyi, Director of the Institute of Continuing and Distance Education (ICDE), University of Ghana, has advised parents to make their wards early childhood education a priority.

He stated that the foundation of every important person in the society began at the early childhood level of education, hence the need to take a critical look in building on their spirit, character and personality for future endeavors.

Professor Sakyi gave the advice during the 16th graduation ceremony of the Little Angels Early Childhood Development Center in Sunyani at the weekend.

The ICDE Director noted that “education is not just the ability to read and write but the acquisition of knowledge to equip individuals with skills of creativity and self-confidence in all societal endeavours, and once you get the skills it will help you as well as the society including the family in future”.

Professor Sakyi urged parents and guardians to invest in their wards education, especially at the early childhood level to enable them to reap abundantly in future.

He presented 25 boxes of literature in English books and other learning materials amounting 10,000 US dollars to the school on behalf of his family and some American donors from California in the United States of America (USA) who had come for a short stay in Ghana.

He also promised to build and furnish an Information Communication Centre (ICT) for the school to assist the children in ICT training and also entreated past pupils to reciprocate to their alma mater, either cash or kind.

Mrs. Comfort Gyamfi, Proprietress of the school appealed to government and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to come to the aid of private institutions by extending the capitation grant policy and the supply of free text books to help them to contribute in nurturing individuals to become useful citizens in the society and the nation at large.

She noted that even though the school started in 1996 with only five pupils, it now has about 1,600 pupils,as a result of determination, vision and better planning.

Mrs. Gyamfi said some former pupils of the school had now reached tertiary institutions such as Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Development Studies, Catholic University College of Ghana among others.

She explained that those achievements were not achieved on “a silver platter” and therefore called on parents to join the management and staff in the enforcement of discipline, love, care and better academic studies to improve on teaching and learning.

Certificates of honour and other presentations were given to some members of staff and the graduates for their long services and successfully progressing into the next level.**