How can the dreams of an African child be echoed when he/she cannot even boast of an
enabling environment. Enabling environments that will make him/her
realize those positive burning desires. We dream to become doctors,
pilots, presidents, and other prominent professions just as we see them
on TV or read about them. But how to achieve them becomes the greatest
hindrance to position the future of Africa on the right path.African
leaders have refused to endow with the best enabling environments for
less-privileged children in the hinterlands and even in the cities. In
my country, Ghana successive governments have made promises of a Free
Compulsory and Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) as mandated by the
constitution for the past 20 years but it is yet to be achieved.How can
we let the poor African child suffer and tell him, he has a dazzling
future? Are we deceiving ourselves or destroying the fate of our future
leaders?The premium ‘’Right to Education’’ in Africa has become a right
that leaders have uphold but are not performing to expectation. Our
education system has always had the deficiency of limited possibilities; which has
being hindrance by limited opportunities. How can we want to
encourage high school graduates to enter into the university, and put in place a
good policy to loan them money and later have an interest that
is very high to be afforded immediately after their tertiary education?
Won’t this discourage people? The best thing we can do as developing
countries in Africa is not changing people but reviewing the failed and
bogus policies that we have put in place. I write to seek on behalf of
the youths and children of Africa that we are also resources that can
also be explored. This is the time that the human resources of Africa
have to be given a notice to.Our dreams and rights have being placed in
limbo. Our rights are not secured, we see children on our streets
selling all kinds of stuffs, paying tags with cars and endangering their lives and
yet we compete with first class world countries for
development even as what will contribute to the development one-day in
future is on the street uneducated and yet we complain that our rate of
development is slow.All stakeholders are adamant on our rights. We
(children) are always well thought-out to be different, thus, the bad
ones. We are now considered as nonentities but they forget that all the
strides they are making today will be in vain if we do not take over and manage them
properly.Our RIGHTS TO LIFE also have being threatened as
African children are never considered. If not wars in Africa countries
will not continue since children are most affected. Some of our parents, brothers,
sisters, guardians and loved ones are always victims to the
guns and deadly weapons of rebels who or in the other way are very
wicked. This also shows that we Africans are contributing against our
own dreams and aspirations. Africa would have been better than Europe,
America, and Asia etc but because of the selfishness of some individuals we are now
seen as ‘backbenchers’ when it comes to development rating.
Why? Is it that Africa does not have the resources i.e. natural
resources, human resources and whatever that will make Africa progress?
It just seems we are not picturing the dreams of the prospective future
leaders and dreams of the future generation. Africa must start preparing for the
best ever leadership, yes! We will get there and we will keep
our dreams alive and always remember we are proud of our
homeland.Recently in Ghana, a country in West Africa, RIGHTS TO LIFE of
young people has been precariously threatened to the extent that it is
becoming a normal practice. for example, a young pupil had his/her
buttocks burnt in hot water just because he wets bed everyday and that
is the only alternative considered by his guardians for treatment, A 31
year old woman killed her 4-year old son by drowning her in a pond
because she wanted to establish a relationship with a new found lover,
for them to destroy all the future dreams, plans and aspirations of
these this children. In other to protect the lives of these children as
their right a worldwide penalty must be instituted to deal with those
playing with our rights which will go a long way to affect our visions
for the African continent.
NB: This article is not to criticize anyone but to advocate for the rights of the
average African child.
AKPAH PRINCE GHANA
