By Emelia B. Addae
Koforidua, Mar. 3, GNA – Participants in an Eastern regional dialogue organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) said a constitutional review should prioritise integrating citizenship and leadership education into the school curriculum at all levels.
They stressed that such reforms could nurture a generation of citizens taking issues of responsibility, fair resource distribution, accountability, equality, and national development more seriously.
The dialogue formed part of the “Civic Engagement on the Rule of Law and the Fight Against Corruption in Ghana” project under the Participation, Accountability, and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIRED) Programme.
The programme, implemented jointly by GIZ, the Ministry of Finance, and the NCCE, aims to promote good governance and accountability and is being rolled out in 60 districts.
Dr Daniel Appiah, a Lecturer at the Department of Public Administration at the University of Ghana Business School, told the forum that the current education system left significant gaps in citizenship and leadership training.
He said early exposure to leadership principles could help shape national attitudes in the long term.
He noted that teaching children about citizenship, equality, impartiality, and respect for the rule of law in their daily experiences could help prevent corruption and build a culture of lawfulness.
Describing the constitution as “the heartbeat of the country’s democracy,” Dr Appiah argued that there was a need for a chapter on national educational values, alongside an apex regulatory structure to guide the education sector.
He cautioned that delaying such reforms would amount to risking the country’s future.
He added that constitutional structures should be strengthened to regulate, supervise, and monitor the management of schools and the wider education system.
Speakers at the forum also included Mrs Mary Awelana Addah, Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana, and Mr Michael Nkansah, Eastern Regional Director of CHRAJ.
In his remarks, Mr Samuel Asare Akuamoah, NCCE Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations, said the fight against corruption remained crucial because it undermines economic growth, distorts decision-making, suppresses citizens’ voices, and weakens accountability.
GNA
Edited D.I. Laary/George-Ramsey Benamba