The International Prisons Chaplains Association (IPCA), Ghana Chapter, has, through sustained educational outreach programmes, intensified efforts to curb drug use and criminal behaviour among students in senior high schools across the country.`
As part of the initiative, IPCA last Tuesday organised an anti-crime sensitisation session at Our Lady of Mercy (OLAM) Senior High School in Tema, where students were educated on the dangers of drug abuse, violence, bullying and negative peer influence.
It brought together officials from the Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Education Service and members of IPCA, who engaged students on the consequences of anti-social behaviours and the importance of making responsible choices.
The National Chairman of IPCA Ghana, Rev. Stephen Mensah, urged the students to avoid activities that could put them on the wrong side of the law.
He observed that many young people currently serving prison sentences ended up in correctional facilities due to poor decisions, bad company and avoidable mistakes.
Rev. Mensah, therefore, cautioned students against participating in violent demonstrations, stressing that such actions could lead to the destruction of school property and possible imprisonment.
He also advised students to stay away from drug abuse, theft, violence and other forms of criminal conduct that could jeopardise their future ambitions and encouraged them to seek support from parents, teachers, school counsellors and religious leaders whenever they faced personal or social challenges.
He said the IPCA's preventive approach focuses on addressing behavioural and social issues early to prevent young people from involving themselves in criminal activities.
Chief Superintendent of Prisons (CSP) Leonie Therese Eshun Mills of the Senior Correctional Centre of the Ghana Prisons Service, underscored the importance of positive peer influence, urging students to be deliberate in choosing their friends.
"Choose your circle, choose your future," she told the students, noting that the company one kept could significantly influence one's future prospects.
She also encouraged students to take advantage of opportunities in vocational and technical education, including coding and robotics, to acquire practical skills that would prepare them for the future job market.
Bullying
CSP Eshun Mills further expressed concern about bullying and violence in schools and called on students to promote peaceful coexistence and mutual respect.
She advised students to set realistic goals and work hard towards achieving them, stressing that discipline, determination and commitment were essential for success.
The Director for Hospitality and Logistics of IPCA, Deaconess Dr Angela Tena Mensah, said the association's regular visits to prisons had revealed that many inmates were young people.
She appealed to parents to play active roles in the upbringing of their children, emphasising that discipline at home was crucial in nurturing responsible adults.
Caution
The Deputy District Police Commander for Tema Community One, ASP Samuel Tamakloe, cautioned students against experimenting with drugs and warned that substance abuse could have serious consequences on their education and future.
The Headmaster of OLAM Senior High School, Joseph Kwadzo Abusah, for his part, described the programme as timely and beneficial.
He said the school remained committed to providing students with not only academic instruction but also moral and psychological support.
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