Badly behaved leaders ‘magically’ expecting children to be better – Lydia Forson on Chiana SHS video

Ghanaian actress, Lydia Forson, has shared her opinion regarding a viral video in which some students were captured using vulgar and unprintable words at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

In a 25-second video making rounds on social media, the group of girls who have been identified as second-year students of Chiana Senior High School in the Kassena Nankana West District were heard chastising the president in a manner that has been described as utterly ‘disrespectful’.

The said video has since garnered backlashes from a large section of the public, including the Ghana Education Service, which has gone on to condemn the act and apologize to the president in a press statement spotted on social media.

“Management of Ghana Education Service (GES) condemns this unfortunate act which is against every educational and moral principle in our society. We wish to also assure the general public that the outcome of the investigations will be more known as soon as it is concluded,” parts of the statement read.

But Lydia Forson believes that the students’ conduct is as a result of learning all sorts of bad habits from prominent Ghanaian leaders over the period.

In a long thread of Twitter posts, Lydia insisted that some government officials, including parliamentarians, have no moral right to chastise these students as they have been bad examples.

“From radio, to television and even politicians fighting and stealing ballots in parliament, children are watching the adults in their lives behave poorly daily! How do we expect better, when we’re no better? We are failing these children.

"We’re raising a generation of children who witness corruption, lack of accountability, and badly behaved leaders, and magically expect them to be better? We need to stop trying to hold children more accountable than the adults who’re supposed to set examples for them to emulate. A majority of people appalled by this video will be quiet about the adults these children are learning from. The sad thing is no one really cares about these children or wants better for them; it’s a talking point for politicians because of who they were insulting,” she wrote.

To her, she said Ghanaian leaders are doing very little in terms of grooming young ones to take their place someday.

“The sad thing is no one really cares about these children or wants better for them; it’s a talking point for politicians because of who they were insulting.

"We expect so much from the “future leaders” of this country, but we’re doing very little to ensure they’re in a position to even lead. I’m always disgusted at how we berate young people in this country, like they shouldn’t have agency,” she added.

Read the posts below:

We need to stop trying to hold children more accountable than the adults who’re supposed to set examples for them to emulate.

We’re raising a generation of children who witness corruption, lack of accountability, and badly behaved leaders, and magically expect them to be better?

— miss forson (@lydiaforson) November 14, 2022

From radio, to television and even politicians fighting and stealing ballots in parliament, children are watching the adults in their lives behave poorly daily!

How do we expect better, when we’re no better?

We are failing these children.

— miss forson (@lydiaforson) November 14, 2022

A majority of people appalled by this video will be quiet about the adults these children are learning from.

The sad thing is no one really cares about these children or wants better for them; it’s a talking point for politicians because of who they were insulting.

— miss forson (@lydiaforson) November 14, 2022

We expect so much from the “future leaders” of this country, but we’re doing very little to ensure they’re in a position to even lead.

I’m always disgusted at how we berate young people in this country, like they shouldn’t have agency.

— miss forson (@lydiaforson) November 14, 2022

EB/AE