'Our Educational System contributes to changes in values'

Cape Coast, April 30, GNA - Dr Kenneth Aikins, Lecturer at the Department of Humanities and Legal Development at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has blamed the country's educational system for the recent upsurge of moral decadence in the society.

According to him, the system did not seek to inculcate desired positive values such as integrity, professionalism and ethical values and as such had failed to shape people to become complete and responsible citizens.

This, he said had caused the dwindling sense of nationalism, patriotism, collective sense as one people, hard work and strong self-spirit among Ghanaians.

Dr Aikins made the observation during an engagement forum with the security agencies as part of the National Commission for Civic Education's (NCCE's) 2017 National Constitution week celebration in Cape Coast.

He said though the educational system remained one of the commonest channel through which values were transmitted, the country through its education had not made conscious efforts to inculcate the desired values in the people.

The desired positive values, he said underpinned progress and national development and therefore when missing in the society, impeded all aspects of development.

Dr Aikins bemoaned how the educational system was girted towards creating people to pass examination without having effective critical thinking minds to access issues to distinguish between wrong and right.

'We need to completely overhaul the educational system to reignite our Ghanaian identity. The system is not meant to train people for work only, but it should be able to train people for life', he stated.

'The constitution of the country encourage the integration of appropriate customary values into the fabric of national life through formal and informal education and the conscious introduction of cultural dimensions to relevant aspects of national planning. Why have we not been able to do so'? He asked.

Dr Aikins noted that, known Ghanaian values such as Justice and fairness, pride in national values, communal spirit, respect for national symbols and institutions, honesty and integrity, decency and decorum in language among others exhibited after independence had all reduced.

'Over the years, these values started breaking down and the 1992 constitution was right on point in Article 39 to bring us back".

"Corruption is at all levels, greed, dishonesty, violent crimes, indiscipline, disregard to fellowman, disrespect, apathy to civic responsibility, selfishness and self-centredness, instant gratification, laziness, lack of critical thinking and mediocrity have come to characterise Ghanaians'. He bemoaned.

Mr Nicolas Ofori Boateng, Central Regional Director of the NCCE explained that the rationale behind the celebration of the National Constitution Week was to remind Ghanaians of the existence of the 1992 Constitution as the fundamental law of the land and how far the country had fared in nurturing its democracy.

The week-long celebration, he said would be characterised by series of events and activities based on the theme of national interest and concern which include; a national dialogue on the restoration of the Ghanaian identity.

He was optimistic that through the dialogue, key strategies for achieving national aspirations and restoration of the Ghanaian identity would be defined and called on all to support the NCCE to properly carry out its duties.

He urged the Ghana Education Service (GES) to accept the call to introduce Civic Education in schools' curricula to inculcate civic responsibility in pupils at their early ages. GNA

By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA