Tema, May 12, GNA – The annual “Citizenship Week,” celebration to inculcate in pupils the values of citizenship and remind them of their responsibilities and roles they can play to build a strong, vibrant, and democratic Ghana begins on May 26.
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) introduced the Citizenship Week celebration in 2021 as part of the annual Constitution Week celebration which started in 2001.
The Citizenship Week celebration is a platform where people in leadership positions and accomplished citizens interact and impart virtues of good citizenship to pupils across the country.
The 2021 Citizenship commemoration is on the theme: “We are one, Ghana first” is slated for Wednesday, May 26th to Wednesday, June 2nd.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Tema, Ms Josephine Nkrumah, NCCE Chairperson explained that the commission’s vision is to be an effective Independent Governance Institution delivering civic education to all Ghanaians and working towards sustaining Ghana’s democracy.
She said: “Integrity, Presence, and Independence are our core values and guiding principles in executing our constitutional mandate”.
Ms Nkrumah explained that the theme is premised on the NCCE’s quest to instill and promote unity and national cohesion among the Ghanaian citizenry as enshrined in Article 35(5) of the Constitution.
“It further emphasises the issue as it enjoins the state to promote the integration of all peoples of Ghana and prohibit discrimination and prejudice on grounds of place of origin, circumstances of birth, ethnic origin, gender or religion, creed, or other beliefs.
“The state is to further take appropriate measures to foster a spirit of loyalty to Ghana that overrides sectional ethnic and other loyalties,” she stated.
The NCCE Chairperson said sovereignty is an attribute of the state but exercised by the people through the government; traditionally, it is the ultimate exercise of authority by a people over themselves and their territory without external control or intervention.
“Sovereignty which resides in the people (1992 Constitution, Article 1) allows us to embark on self-governance with the determination to bring development to the totality of the citizens.
“But when sovereignty and the right to participate in democracy is misused, citizens must stand up through campaign strategies and fight for collective peace and development.
“Development only thrives in an environment of peace and unity but violence sets the clock of progress backward as it destroys both life and property and lives the state poorer,” she noted.
Ms Nkrumah said as part of efforts to inculcate in the child the spirit of nationalism and patriotism, the NCCE would like every child to understand and uphold our Ghanaian values as responsible citizens.
Additionally, the Commission reminds all and sundry of our values which are embedded in the duties of a citizen enshrined in Article 41 of the 1992 Constitution as follows:
The NCCE Chairperson said, “a disciplined people can build a great nation and advance together with the course of development. We need to do it right because we are all involved.
“It ought to be so because the nation demands our devotion and we have to unite to uphold her in making her great and strong. We are one nation, one people, one destiny, and we are one in building our motherland. For protecting the good name of Ghana, for lifting the Flag of Ghana together, signals we are one people and should live in unity”.
GNA