Don't commercialise day care centres operations

Obuasi, Aug 15, GNA - Proprietors of day care centres have been told not to make monetary gains supersede the supreme welfare and other considerations of the children they handle.

Mr M.K. Addai, Obuasi Municipal Co-ordinating director, who gave the advice, expressed concern about the way some proprietors considered their monetary gains without taking cognisance of the welfare of the children.

Addressing the closing ceremony of a workshop organised for 15 day-care attendants at Obuasi, Mr Addai urged owners of the centres to avoid congested classrooms and also improve conditions of their classroom structures.

He warned that the Department of Social Welfare and the Ghana Education Service (GES) would soon go round to monitor the operations of all day-care centres in the municipality and that those found not operating within the regulations would be blacklisted. Mr Addai said the municipal assembly would be involved in the activities of the centres and therefore appealed to owners to ensure that they registered their centres with the assembly.

Mr J.E. Amponsah, Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare, said the early training of the child was critical to the country that was why day-care centre attendants needed to be trained periodically.

"Early training of the child therefore becomes crucial in socialisation of the child which includes inculcating the values of the society in the children to become responsible citizens of the society in future", he stressed.

Mr Amponsah urged the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to use substantial part of their resources to resource the Department of Social Welfare to enable it deliver quality service to children.

He reminded society that social problems like child delinquencies, drug abuse, prostitutions and HIV/AIDS were due to the improper upbringing of the child.