Let’s prioritize human capital development for nation building – Mrs. Ofori Boateng

Ghana needs to prioritize the development of her human capital for nation building by adopting and promoting a more holistic approach to child education, a renowned Marketing Communications Specialist has said.

Mrs. Regina Ofori Boateng, Marketing Manager for Cards and E-banking, Ecobank Group, contended that the most precious resource for nation building is the sum total of the country’s human capital but she found it rather pathetic that with Ghana’s high literacy rate, the abundance of educational institutions, scholars and subject-matter experts, ‘the country still suffers from a total disregard for nature, lack of care for the environment and a complete disregard for rules and acceptable societal norms’.

She was addressing parents and students on the topic: “Promoting Holistic and Excellent Child Education for Nation Building” at the eighth Graduation, Speech and Prize-giving Ceremony of Delsi Montessori School, a renowned private Christian pre-tertiary institutions.

Nation building, Mrs. Boateng said, is about how the country deploys her resources towards improving the fortunes of her people, stressing that the many self-extolling accolades about the country’s youthful population, vast arable lands and her wealth of mineral and natural resources ‘will amount to nothing if we don’t have the right persons to organize, lead and decide on how we leverage our strengths’.

“Building this nation will only be possible if we focus on education that gives us purpose and the drive to change our situation no matter the odds, and to achieve this, we need to educate our children to become well rounded adults.

We must adopt an instructional approach that seeks to empower children to use their academic learning as a foothold for emotional and social development. This is the holistic approach!” Mrs. Boateng said emphatically.

Reverend Mrs. Lawrencia Dafeamekpor, Proprietress of Delsi Montessori described the occasion as a most significant one for the school because it marked the start of a ‘bright future in primary education’ for 33 young kindergarten graduates.

“As far as holistic training goes, I am happy to say that Delsi Montessori’s blend of academic tuition with well-tailored extra curricula programmes helps our children to become more self-confident, learn how to work in teams, improve their concentration and communication skills and enhances their sense of order and self-control,” Rev. Mrs. Dafeamekpor said.

The Proprietress said the schools benchmark has always been its passion for providing a safe, secure, stimulating and inspiring environment for children’s learning and care.

She disclosed that Delsi Montessori pupils and students are assigned to one of a number of small groups supervised by professional hosts and hostesses who assist them to follow and undertake a wide range of instructive and edifying activities throughout the day. The school currently has 167 pupils in the Pre-school Department, 73 pupils in Primary and 5 pupils in the JHS respectively.

The award of certificates and prizes to deserving pupils and staff was interlaced with a series of exciting drama sketches and intricately choreographed dance forms by the school children.

Delsi Montessori School was founded in 2005 to cater for the educational and developmental needs of babies and children between the ages of 3 months and 14 years. The school provides extra-curricular activities such as the music and swimming lessons, Afro-cultural training in drumming and dancing, science and Reading Clubs, Girl Guides, Boys’ Scouts, and many other activities.