The Okyenhene, Osafgyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, says the country is facing economic problems because a large majority of the citizens cannot read and write.
According to the Okyenhene, ‘’Countries develop not because of what they have but because of what they know, adding that ‘’By abolishing illiteracy, I advocate for a kind of education that is relevant to the developmental aspirations of our people’’.
The overlord of the Akyem-Abuakwa State said this when speaking at the 15th Congregation of the Kyebi Presbyterian College of Education in Kyebi, the Municipal capital of the Abuakwa South in the Eastern Region over the weekend.
Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour on the theme ‘’The Total Recovery of Ghana’s Economy Hinges on Education; the Role of the 21st Century Teacher‘’ the Okyenhene noted that ‘’After many centuries of experimentation, civilized men have concluded that the only way to abolish poverty is to abolish illiteracy’’.
He noted that ‘’It is in this vein that I take this opportunity to commend the government for its steadfast commitment to the free Senior High School policy despite calls to review the policy’’.
The Okyenhene noted that the prices of food and other essential commodities have skyrocketed and the fallout has been negative for most third-world countries.
He explained that ’Our country is yet to recover from the global economic crises occasioned by the devastating effect of the covid-19 pandemic and the effects of the war in Ukraine. Governments continue in the search for solutions. For one thing, the crises have betrayed the volatility and vulnerability of the Ghanaian economy’’.
Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin emphasizes that ‘’The future of Ghana’s education is in the hands of teachers. You cannot afford to fail us.
Teachers must accept your calling as a challenge to affect the lives of generations of school-going-age children with a unique responsibility to make them worthy citizens that will work to turn the destiny of our country around’’.
He added that the quality, competence, and character of teachers are the most significant factor influencing the quality of education and its contribution to national development’’.
He said over the last 6years, this college has witnessed unprecedented growth in infrastructure with the construction of several edifices to serve the needs of the college, adding that ‘’The government must be highly commended for these efforts. This measure is the surest way to deal with the attrition rate of teachers’’.
The Okyenhene opined that ‘’An investment in education pays the best interest. The Kyebi Presbyterian College of Education has produced teachers who have positively impacted our communities. Colleges of education have a major role to play in the transformation of our national economy.
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, further asked parents to be responsible for the education of their children and also support teachers to discipline their children to grow up to become useful citizens.
That, according to the Akyem Abuakwa Overlord, was the only way to reduce poverty in the communities.
To the new graduands, the Okyenhene urged them to accept his congratulations with the knowledge that teaching is not just a job, by adding that it is a human service and it must be thought as a mission and also to build their careers in line with technology changes for the enhancement of society.
The event was attended by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. J.O.Y. Mante, the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr. Eric Nkansah, the Principal of the College of Education Rev. Dr. Charles Ayarkwa, among others.
-BY Daniel Bampoe