'Bring up children with good morals'

The Volta Regional Director of Education, Mr Gabriel Kploanyi, has advised parents to ensure that their children were brought up with good morals and in the fear of God.

He said: “We have a future if we pass on to the generation of students, the values of religious tolerance, respect for one another, peace and love in order to ensure peaceful coexistence among ourselves in the country for accelerated development.”

Mr Kploanyi gave the advice at the launch of the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Awudome Senior High School in Tsito in the Volta Region.

Awudome Senior High School was established in 1963 by the Tsito Native Teachers Association. The school will be 50 years in 2013.

The celebration's is on the theme: “Fifty Years of Secondary Education in a Disciplined Environment – The Fulcrum of Community and National Development.”

Mr Kploanyi said holistic and functional education was critical to the growth and development of an individual's potentials hence empowering the citizenry with holistic education should be the heart of socio-economic development.

He expressed concern about moral decadence among students lately, noting that students who engaged in immoral acts do not only slack academically but also destroy themselves.

“Indeed, a society that does not uphold discipline is always confronted with numerous challenges which derail its effort at attaining its goals and aspirations,” he added.

Ms Elizabeth Amoah Tetteh, Deputy Minister of Education, who represented Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, the acting Minister of Education, lauded Awudome Senior High School for producing distinguish personalities like doctors, teachers, engineers, agriculturalists, senior civil and public servants within 50 years of their existence.

In a speech read on his behalf, he urged the board of governors of the school to develop new strategies to enable students overcome the challenges of the times.

“It is these new strategies that would prepare the grounds for the emergence of a new student population which would form a stronger base of human resource for community development and nation building.”

The acting Education Minister urged the students to live up to the ideals of the school by studying hard to excel and avoid drug abuse, immoral and indiscipline acts to enable them to follow the footprints of the past students who were now in high places.

Commenting on the 50th Anniversary celebrations, Mr Mensah urged the old students association to support their Alma Mater.

Pledging government's support, he said, the Ministry of Education would continue to create an enabling environment for effective teaching and learning in senior high schools through the provision of infrastructure, adequate textbooks, quality teachers and in-service training for teachers to enhance their pedagogical skills.

Mr Rimon Kroti, the Headmaster of the school, who paid glowing tribute to his predecessors and the founding fathers of the school, said the school thrived on Christian ideology but tolerated other beliefs as long as they endeavour to build the moral fibre of their

members in attaining the collective vision of the school.

He said the school was seriously challenged in terms of infrastructure and cited the school's dining hall which had been turned into a multi-purpose hall.

“Our classroom infrastructure, dormitory facilities for both boys and girls are of paramount concern. The existing classroom facilities for science studies also need comprehensive rehabilitation,” he added.

Mr Kroti called on the government and other corporate institutions to help them by providing a 3,000 sitting capacity assembly hall, three storey dormitory blocks for boys with beds, staff flat, 500 pieces of classroom furniture among other things.

Mr Alex Segbefia, Deputy Chief of Staff, unveiled the anniversary logo amidst cheers and songs by the old students of the school.