USE ICT TO ACHIEVE ACADEMIC LAURELS, NOT SAKAWAi>… Haruna tells Tamale youth

The Communications Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has advised the youth in Ghana, particularly those in the north, to use Information Communication Technology (ICT) as the best tool to gain high academic successes, rather than for fraudulent deals.

The Minister however, reiterated government's commitment to fight against cyber crimes in Ghana to salvage the image of the country.

Mr. Haruna was speaking at a day's youth forum, organised by the Northern Youth for Development (NORYDEV) in Tamale, for some selected Junior and Senior High schools in the north.

NORYDEV seeks to promote education, culture, music, peace, youth empowerment and development. It also seeks to engage the youth in dialogue to uphold the peace, and promote development in the north.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tamale South Constituency, urged the students to spend more time on their studies, or accessing the Internet for useful information, instead of watching pornographic materials, or doing 'Sakawa'.

The Minister also implored the youth of Northern Ghana to reconcile their conducts with their religious values, and refrain from acts of violence.

Some of the students at the forum were however anxious to know the government's position on whether they would spend three or four years in school.

Responding to this question, Mr. Haruna said a reversal of the Senior High School calendar to three years, in his estimation, would be the best educational policy for Ghana to meet her Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015.

The Communications Minister therefore suggested to the government to reduce the period to three years, and rather increase the number of hours between teachers and students, by shortening the vacation periods in every academic year, to enable tutors complete their syllabus within the required period.

The Chief Executive Officer of NORYDEV, Mohammed Hafiz, said the northern youth had been misled for far long by their leaders, especially the politicians.

He was optimistic that the formation of NORYDEV would play a significant role in transforming the youth to become useful to the north and Ghana in entirety.