By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, Aug.10, GNA – Professor Mercy Derkyi, the Director, Centre for Professional Development of the University of Energy and Natural Resources has advised basic schoolteachers to imbibe in children the spirit of assertiveness in their upbringing and development.
She said students and pupils needed to be assertive, build their confidence, while unearthing and shaping their inherent potentials, saying that could be achieved if teachers spent ample time, inspired, and built the confidence of the children.
Prof. Derkyi gave the advice when she was speaking at the opening session of the grand finale of the 2023 Ark FM/Cowbell Brain Challenge competition at the auditorium of the Sunyani Technical University.
Ark FM, a Sunyani-based local radio station with support from Promasidor Ghana Limited, the producers of Cowbell powdered milk product instituted the contest to help prepare basic schools in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions adequately for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
In all 27 selected basic schools in the three regions participated in the inter-zonal competition, where the Sunyani Sacred Heart, Berekum Madonna and Techiman Adventist Junior High Schools qualified for the grand finale, held on the theme “Nurturing Future Leaders in a Technologically Advancing World: The Role of Stakeholders Through the Media.”
Prof. Derkyi indicated English language, Mathematics, Science, and Information Communication Technology (ICT) were integral subjects which could determine the academic success of children, but added, pupils and students who were assertive always perform well in those subjects.
She noted students who performed abysmally poor in those subjects always found it difficult to continue their education, particularly at the university level, and lauded the organisers of the competition, saying, it would inspire the schools to prioritise the teaching and learning of mathematics, integrated science, english language and ICT.
Mr John Ansu Kumi, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive said children required basic skills in ICT to survive in the globally advancing technological world and urged all stakeholders to help groom them to become ICT compliant.
He said as future leaders, it was also imperative for everybody to help in the proper upbringing and development of children by ensuring that they did not copy and engaged themselves in unhealthy lifestyles such as alcoholism and drug abuse which would ruin their lives.
Mr Kumi therefore commended Ark FM and its partners for the challenge and expressed the hope that the collaboration between the FM station and Pomasidor Ghana Limited would be strengthened in the ensuing years.
Mr Godwin Atta Andoh Snr. the Managing Director of Ark FM expressed appreciation to the company for its continuous support, saying the challenge was really making significant impact in the basic schools.
He said the station required more support from stakeholders to extend the challenge to cover more schools, and expressed the hope that with such support, many of the schools in the region would participate in the 2024 contest.
Miss Linda Akua Penni, the Deputy Brand Manager of Pomasidor Ghana Limited said the company also believed in the holistic development of children and gave the assurance that it would continue to support the challenge for the achievement of desirable outcomes.
GNA