Educational system must shape the mindset of Ghanaians — Professor Roger

Professor Roger Oppong Koranteng, the Advisor and Head of Public Sector Governance at the Commonwealth Secretariat, United Kingdom, has called for an educational system that would shape the mindset of Ghanaians on the impact of corruption describing it as essential to eliminating it.

Prof. Koranteng said this when he presented a paper at the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office progressive anti-corruption media platform: "Is the fight against corruption a mirage or reality".

Speaking on the topic "Expanding the Frontiers of Combating Corruption in Ghana: Policy and Strategic Option," he said learning and applying principles of combating corruption in practice was a process that would help people move away from smaller acts to more consistent and acceptable behaviour.

He mentioned that high-quality and accessible education empowers societies and individuals and is thus one of the most effective channels for advancing a productive and moral society.

"The citizens should be educated properly because we accept that corruption is the order of the day; the citizens accept it as a normal thing; it's not normal; somebody is in a responsible position using our own taxpayer’s money to acquire wealth for himself; it's not normal," he stated.

He said corruption touches the lives of Ghanaians every day and happens across both the private sector and public service in the realms of housing, education, health, and agriculture, adding that its influence reaches dangerous levels and threatens sustainable development.

He went on to say that the act had detrimental effects on development, stressing that it was of paramount importance to recognize and address corruption by all means possible.

"When we know that when we don't have good roads in our area, that means something is stealing money at the high place, then they will support," he stated.

Prof. Koranteng added that the educational systems shape individuals from early life until adulthood, and that would imprint on their minds the benefits they were supposed to have enjoyed that had been eroded as a result of corruption.

He said corruption nullified the gains from all levels of progress by creating losses in the provision of amenities needed to ensure the quality of life for citizens in a country.

He explained that beating corruption would require a collective effort, and anti-corruption education has an important role to play in this fight.

Speaking on "the role of the media in the fight against corruption," Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency Tema, urged both public and commercial organizations to work effectively with the media in their programmes and activities to combat corruption.

He challenged the media by spearheading a vigorous advocacy campaign that would make the ground inhospitable to corruption.

According to him, the fight against corruption will be futile unless the media actively participates in raising awareness of its dangers, both in the public and private sectors and in educating citizens about their responsibility to combat it.

Mr. Ameyibor stated that if the media aids and sustains the fight against endemic corruption, the vast resources lost to it can be redirected into productive projects that drive economic growth and prosperity for the country.

-CDA Consult