The Paramount Chief of the Akwamu Traditional Area, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, says education must rest on three pillars of identity, character and self-reliance that leave no child behind.
Odeneho Akoto said every child was an asset to the nation and therefore no child in Ghana, especially in the Akwamu area, should be denied the opportunity to discover and develop his or her God-given potential because of any circumstance.
He made the remarks as the guest speaker at the 25th Anniversary of Corri Creche and Crimson Dawn Schools, a private basic school at Akosombo in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region last Saturday.
The school, which began with a creche on May 8, 2001, with seven children by Corrinne Sackey, now has a creche, primary and junior high school with a total population of 450 pupils and students.
It was aimed at solving the biggest problem that confronted working mothers at Akosombo at the time after maternity leave.
The 25th Anniversary was on the theme "Impacting Future Generations Through Academic Excellence".
Vision for education
Odeneho Kwafo Akoto emphasised that education in the country must go beyond the acquisition of certificates but, more than that, it must create thinkers, innovators, entrepreneurs, professionals and responsible leaders who can identify the challenges of our communities and develop solutions for them.
"We must encourage education that creates employment, promotes agriculture and enterprise, protects our environment, preserves our history and culture and opens new opportunities for the youth of Akwamu and Ghana at large,” the guest speaker added.
He said institutions such as Corri Creche and Crimson Dawn Schools were important partners in the development of Akwamu, adding, “Your work complements the efforts of parents, traditional authorities, governments and the wider community in preparing our children for the future."
The Director of the school, Corrinne Sackey, in her address said her difficulty in getting her own babies into day care centres led to her decision to open a creche which admitted babies as young as three months old at the time.
Quality education
Mrs Sackey said the main objective of the school was to provide quality early childhood education while offering a safe and nurturing environment that would promote the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of children.
She said she was happy that her goals of establishing the school were achieved by producing quality students who held various positions of trust not only in Ghana but outside the country as well.
Mrs Sackey was proud to add that her junior high school has been producing the best basic education certificate examination (BECE) results for the Asuogyaman District for a few years now, and she attributed that success to the hardworking, dedicated and committed staff as well as her very supportive husband, Theophilus Sackey.
As part of the programme, Corricrim Alumni Network (CAN), with their motto "Great Stars will continue to shine", was formally inaugurated to connect, to give back to the school and to inspire the current students. The group, as part of its commitment to its alma mater, presented three water dispensers for use within the school community.
Individual students and staff were honoured for their hard work and service to the school over the years.
The Chancellor for Koforidua Technical University, who is also a member of the school's board, Dr Paa Kwesi Eduafo Yankey, the chairman for the occasion, stressed the need to embrace innovation and technology in our education sector while holding onto discipline, character formation, creativity and critical thinking.
Those who graced the occasion included Dr Joyce Rosalind Aryee, a member of the school's board and the former Chief Justice, Gertrude Sackey Torkorno.
