Prez Mahama calls for support to improve standard of education in the country
President John Mahama last Saturday joined the chiefs and people of Cape Coast to celebrate this year’s Fetu Afahye and called for conscious efforts to arrest the deteriorating standards of education in the metropolis.
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He expressed concern that in spite of the improvement of the average performance at the basic level for the 2014/2015 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), that of Cape Coast over the same period dropped from 31.3 to 29.92 per cent.
According to President Mahama, in the last three consecutive years, the country topped in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and also took the first three awards last year.
The President also expressed delight over the fact that the top category of awardees were students from the metropolis and indicated that Ghana was setting the standards for the West African sub-region.
Afahye
This year’s festival was celebrated on the theme: “The Falling Standards of Education in Cape Coast Metropolis – Responsibility of Stakeholders,” and witnessed by hundreds of people from far and near.
The chiefs, led by the seven Asafo companies, earlier went on a procession through the major streets of the metropolis before converging on the Victoria Park for the programme.
President Mahama said the education of children was not only the responsibility of teachers but the duty of all stakeholders, including parents.
He said the government would continue with its intervention programmes to provide access to more Ghanaians and therefore called on the chiefs and people to support the government to realise its objectives of improving the fortunes of education in the country.
The President commended the traditional authorities for collaborating with the government in its development drive to improve on the lives of Ghanaians.
Projects
President Mahama said the government had made a numbers of investments in the Central Region to change lives and transform the area. The projects include: the Elmina Fish Processing Factory, the Kotokuraba Market, the Komenda Sugar Factory and the construction of first-class roads. Others are construction of sea defence walls, the Cape Coast Stadium and polyclinics.
The President said those projects had created jobs for many people in the region and therefore appealed to the people to give their mandate to the National Democratic Congress in the December election this year to continue with its development agenda.
Advice
President Mahama entreated all political stakeholders to be committed to peace before, during and after the election.
The President, who is also the Commander in chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, reiterated his determination to promote peace and security in the country during the electioneering.
“Ghana is the only home we have and we must all work to consolidate the peace we are enjoying responsibly,” he said.
He underscored the significance of festivals which he said had not only guided and united families but also helped instil traditional values in the youth for a better future.
For his part, the Oguaamanhene, Osaberima Kwesi Atta II, also admonished Ghanaians, particularly the youth, to guard against fomenting any form of violence in the electioneering.
He also advised the electorate not to sell their votes but vote for their preferred choice.
The chief commended the government for the various developmental projects in the area.
He pledged the commitment of the chiefs and people in Oguaaman to support the government.
