The Central Regional Minister, Kwamina Duncan, has stated that training the younger generation today to become responsible citizens for national development tomorrow, is a collective responsibility of both the home and the school.
He thus appealed to traditional authorities, opinion leaders, parents and guardians to lead exemplary lives in society for the young ones to emulate so that they will become useful to society when the mantle of leadership falls on them.
The Regional Minister made these comments when he addressed a large gathering of students, teachers, parents, chiefs and other stakeholders of education at the Swedru Senior High School over the weekend on the occasion of the school’s 58th speech and prize giving day.
The theme for the celebration was; “Development of Secondary Education; the role of stakeholders.”
He advised students to make maximum use of the resources at their disposal and be mindful of the choice they make today and refrain from negative tendencies that can endanger their lives.
“As your parents are making painstaking efforts to educate you, you should reciprocate the kind gesture by studying hard. Take note that you are the future leaders of this country and your preparation for future leadership starts from here, therefore study hard to enable you to become good future leaders,” he added.
Professor Augustus Eduafo, who was the guest speaker for the occasion, also advised parents to make the motivation of their wards a part of their parental roles in order to boost the self-esteem of their wards.
He mentioned that parents are the role models of every child, and that whatever they say or do have a direct bearing on their wards.
He charged parents to endeavor to get firsthand information about how their wards perform in their various schools as well as their attitudes so that they could play a role in shaping them.
The headmistress of the school, Mrs. Alberta Obiriwa Rigg-Stewart, noted in her address that, the school has improved its academic performance over the years.
She mentioned that out of a total of 771 candidates the school presented for the WASSCE exams in 2016, 511 representing 56.3 passed in all the eight subjects, while 144 representing 18.7 passed in 7 subjects.
She however bemoaned the poor performance of some students, and disclosed that workshops are often organised to improve the skills of teachers.
The Swedru Senior High School became operational in January 1959, to provide education for wards of cocoa farmers in the area with less than hundred students.
The school now has a total population of 2,490, out which 2,068 representing 83 percent are boarders.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)