NCCE Urges Youth To partake in national governance

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has organised a national showcase on project citizen, a portfolio-based interdisciplinary civic education curriculum programme for the youth to promote qualitative participation in local and national governance.
The event, which was held at the Ghana-Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT in Accra, was themed ‘Towards effective youth participation in Ghana’s democracy.’
It was sponsored by Promasidor Ghana Limited, producers of Cowbell products, Hanns Seidel Foundation, and the Center for Civic Education, USA.
Three schools qualified for the national and final competition. The schools included Tamale Senior High School, St. Francis Xavier Junior Seminary, Wa, and St. Louis Girls Senior High School, Kumasi.
The students made vivid presentations of research findings on the problems they selected and answered questions posed by three judges which comprised Emelia Amartey Quarcoo, Kwasi Adu-Mante and Ofori Ntow on their portfolios.
At the end St. Louis Senior High School, which made a presentation on ‘Curbing road accidents: A shared and collective responsibility’ emerged as the winners.
St. Francis Xavier Senior High School on the other hand made a presentation on ‘Excessive intake of alcohol in the Kpaguri community’ took the second position while Tamale Senior High School after their presentation on ‘The menace of car crashes in the Tamale metropolis’ took the third position.
All the contestants at the semi-national and national competitions were presented with Cowbell Milk products, exercise books, back packs, T-shirts, certificates of participation as well as books donated by Hanns Seidel Foundation.
Addressing the gathering, a student of the University of Ghana, Legon and Pioneer Student of Project Citizen Ghana, Miss Clara Bonsu, in her welcome address, said Project Citizen was an important programme that prepared the youth for informed, committed and responsible participation in the country’s democracy.
For his part the chairman of NCCE, Mr. Laary Bimi, said the youth who are the future leaders should be able to take up the mantle from their leaders and add to the achievements they have already accomplished.
Taking his turn to speak, the immediate past deputy Minister of Education, Dr. JS Anan, commended organisers of the programme.
He expressed confidence that the programme has started sowing seeds of development among the youth, adding that “it has taught them more about social responsibilities.”
“Social responsibility is a way of eliminating the seed of selfishness in Ghanaians. Our democracy cannot thrive if people always thought of only themselves. I therefore find the Hanns Seidel motto very appropriate and critical to the nation’s development,” the minister stressed.
The Director of Institute of International Contact and Cooperation, Hanns Seidel Foundation, Mr. Christian Hegemer, was grateful for the opportunity given him to represent his country Germany in the national showcase.
He underscored the need for civic education and its critical role in nation building.
“I would like to remind Ghanaians on the need to be good citizens by living up to their responsibilities since civic education is important in the country’s democratic dispensation,” Mr. Hegemer stated.
He was proud of Ghana’s achievements with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) which have made it synonymous with the country.