Parents should not impose subjects on their children - Rashid

Accra, July 26, GNA - Mr Rashid Bawa, Minister of State for Education Youth and Sports, on Sunday said Ghana could move forward if education both at home and in school were geared towards the teachings of how to live instead of how to earn a living.

"We can do this by carefully studying and observing the interest and attitudes of our children and directing them to study and specialise in professions where they are most talented and interested; instead of pre-determining their profession while they are still young."

Mr Bawa in a speech read for him by Dr Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, a Director at the Ministry at the Speech and Prize Giving Day of the RIIS Memorial School at Dansoman, Accra, said parents sometimes ruined their children's academic life when they mistakenly imposed some field of study on them.

Such parents become offended when their children's careers are at variance with their dreams. They fail to realise that the child's interest and attitudes for learning a particular subject or skill might have been determined by the genes.

Mr Bawa asked parents to encourage their children to read subjects in which they have interest for them to achieve their full potentials. The Day celebrated on the theme: "The Dynamics of Up-bringing" was a reminder to both parents and teachers as well as all stakeholders to devise strategies of inculcating good morals into the youth.

The Minister advised students to spend more of their leisure in youth educational centres instead of engaging in social activities that jeopardised their future.

He noted that most of the youth enjoyed beach and house parties organised by their peers and said such programmes, although led to socialization, it also could lead to the adoption of all kinds of negative attitudes.

Mr Bawa urged the youth to abstain from premarital sex and be disciplined in all aspects of their lives to attain the highest vision in their lives.

He said, "you as children should appreciate the great sacrifices of your parents and guardians to look after you in school and reciprocate it by studying hard and by keeping away from habits which lead to failure, not only in terms of your examinations but also throughout life."

He called on parents to invest in their children's education and to take keen interest in their welfare.

Mr Bawa congratulated the management and teachers of the school for maintaining their academic record of a 100 per cent in the Basic Education Certificate of Education (BECE), since the first batch sat in 1995 and encouraged them to ensure that the standard was maintained. Mr Victor Bekoe, Headmaster of the School, said since 1995 the school had maintained a 100 per cent passes each year in the BECE and 32 students passed out with distinctions out of 89 students who passed out last year.

He said the school would this year send some of its students to participate in the Science Technical and Mathematics Educational (STME) course to help broaden their scope.

Mr Stanley Ajiri Blankson, Mayor of Accra, who chaired the ceremony, called on the students to cultivate the habit of keeping their surroundings clean.

Prizes were awarded to pupils who excelled in their various fields of study.