National Youth Draft Bill ready debate-Baah-Wiredu

Cape Coast, Aug. 23, GNA - The Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, on Monday announced that the National Youth Draft Bill was ready for study and debate by all stakeholders in the law making process.

He said it has become necessary to fashion out a new, acceptable, and realistic bill to enhance youth activities, because the current NRC decree 24 of 1974, governing the operations of youth work, was outmoded. Mr Baah-Wiredu said this in an address read for him by Mr Joe Donkor, a Deputy Minister at the Ministry, at the Second National Cadet Leadership Training Camp at Cape Coast.

The five-day camp, which is being attended by more than 500 cadets drawn form the various second cycle schools in the country, is under the theme "Discipline and Patriotism the Role of the Student Cadet in Nation Building".

It is aimed at inculcating into the youth, the spirit of patriotism and improving their personal leadership qualities and skills, to enable them to become self-dependent.

The Minister said youth work as a social activity, was subject to dynamic changes over time, and that the World Assembly of Youth and the Commonwealth Youth Programme, had come out with practical, modern and scientific approaches to youth work which should be incorporated into bill.

He reminded the cadets of the importance of being disciplined and urged them to use the camp to change "positively", and be imbued with patriotic and leadership qualities, which would enable them to effect lives constructively.

Mr Baah-Wiredu, cautioned the youth against pre-marital sex and reminded them there was no known cure to HIV/AIDS, which is acquired mainly through sex.

He said the Ministry and other bodies were working hard to solve the youth unemployment problem.

Mr Isaac Edumadze, Central Regional Minister also in speech read for him, urged the youth to be disciplined and advised them against drug abuse and occultism.

He noted said the role of the youth in politics was indispensable and asked them to assist in ensuring that the 2004 Election was free and fair.

Commander Jonathan Howard, Military Attach=E9 at the British High Commission, underscored the important role cadets play in nation building and urged them to work towards bilateral relationships not only between Ghana and the UK, but also with other European nations. Okatakyie Dr Amanfi VII, Omanhene of Asebu Traditional Area, who presided, appealed to the organisers of the cadet to ensure that more cadet corps were established in basic schools and pledged that he would release land for the development of a permanent training camp for the cadets.