Vice-Chancellor calls for competition at all levels of learning

Kumasi, July 2, GNA - Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has called for the inculcation of the spirit of hard work in school children to qualify them for enviable positions as a result of emerging competitions on the job market.

He said competition had become more relevant and unavoidable in modern times due to globalization that had restricted job opportunities because too many people with the same qualification compete for one job. The Vice-Chancellor, who was addressing the 12th speech, prize-giving and graduation ceremony of the KNUST Junior Secondary School (JSS) in Kumasi at the weekend, said "today's child faces the challenge of having to work extra harder to earn his position than in those days when there were a few lawyers, doctors, engineers and other professionals."

Prof Adarkwa cautioned against what he termed as "unhealthy competitions" which brought in its wake bitter jealousies and rivalries, since in the current situation "your competitors could be your own friend, colleague, a brother or even a sister".

Elaborating on the theme, "Championing the Cause of Children", Mrs Theodosia Jackson, Headmistress of the school, said the theme for the occasion being held in the country's Golden Jubilee year was very appropriate to draw the attention of all stakeholders to the future of today's child most of whom are in child labour and trafficking apart from being abused in rape and defilement.

The media, she said, was awash with alarming cases of child deviant behaviours such as drug addiction, armed robbery as well as sexual perversion and this underscored the fact that the "child who is tomorrow's leader is not well catered for."

Mrs Jackson called on all concerned especially parents not to unleash their marital frustrations on children but to train, nurture, control and correct the child whose formative years begin at home. Touching on the achievement of the school within the year, Mrs Jackson said the school has maintained a high academic performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

In a speech read for her, Mrs Elizabeth Agyemang, Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, urged the students to learn hard to enhance their chances of getting a better job in future.

Prizes were given to students for their outstanding performances both academically and in extra curricula activities while the 500 students who wrote the current BECE were presented with graduation certificates.