GES plans to use cultural heritage as a major strategy for nation’s development

-The Ghana Education Service (GES) has mapped out a comprehensive strategy to preserve, harness and use the Ghanaian cultural heritage and resources to develop a vibrant and a prosperous national community.

Mr. Joseph Clement Amoah, Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Education who made the observation in Kumasi on Thursday said his outfit seeks to achieve the goals through the teaching of culture in schools and the organization of inter-schools festival of Arts and Culture at both district and national levels.

He was speaking during the second cycle schools inter-district festival of Arts and Culture held under the theme; “Promoting our Culture through Healthy living”.

The event brought together students from 21 districts in the Ashanti Region including, Amansie East, Kwabre, Ejisu-Juaben and Kumasi Metropolis. They showed competitiveness in choral music, poetry recitals and drum language.

Mr. Amoah stressed that Ghana is blessed with cultural values which had the potential to exert a deep influence on society.

He however regretted that “the clash between modernization and traditional cultural values has created a lot of confusion and chaos in the minds of our people particularly, the Ghanaian youth”.

This he believed was the result of the contemporary Ghanaian youth developing different tastes for clothing, music, food and recreational activities further leading to the high spate of social vices and crime in the society.
Mr. Samuel Francis Adjei, Director, Centre for National Culture (CNC) on his part said music is no longer taught in schools as a subject and the competition would therefore compel students to learn music and sing well.
He was of the view that the competition would also enable the students to explore their talents in music and thus foster unity when children sing various songs in different languages.
Mrs. Georgina Acquah, The Ashanti Regional Culture Coordinator called on parents to encourage their children to take part in cultural activities.