By Emmanuella Owusu/Miriam Oparebea, GNA
Ningo-Prampram, May 22, GNA — Mr Emmanuel Oppong, the Ningo-Prampram District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has cautioned senior high school students against shortcuts and corruption, urging them to become ambassadors of integrity.
Mr Oppong said Ghana needed a generation of young people who valued honesty, discipline, fairness, and respect for the rule of law to help build a resilient democracy.
He gave the advice during an engagement with the Prampram Senior High School’s Civic Education Club on ethical leadership, accountability, and the rule of law at Ningo-Prampram.
The programme, organised by the NCCE under the auspices of the Participation, Accountability, and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) Programme, was aimed at equipping students with the knowledge to identify and fight corruption, conflict of interest, and influence peddling.
Mr Oppong stated that the youth were immediate partners in nation-building, adding that the habits and attitudes they developed today would shape the country’s future.
“Every strong nation is built on honesty, discipline, fairness, and responsible leadership. When these values are absent, corruption grows to weaken our schools, hospitals, roads, and businesses,” he cautioned.
Touching on accountability, the NCCE district director explained that student leaders, such as class prefects and club executives, must be accountable to their peers by explaining their decisions and how funds collected for school activities were utilised.
In the same vein, he noted that citizens held the right to demand accountability from public officials and government institutions.
Mr Oppong defined conflict of interest as using one’s position or influence for personal benefit instead of acting fairly, citing instances where school leaders gave opportunities exclusively to friends instead of deserving students.
On influence peddling, he explained it as the practice of using personal connections or authority to improperly influence decisions for private gain, which undermined merit and institutional trust.
Mr Oppong reminded the students that the rule of law meant everyone was subject to the law regardless of their status, wealth, political position, or family background.
He urged the students to contribute positively to the nation by speaking out against cheating, demonstrating honesty in examinations, respecting school rules, and reporting wrongdoing through appropriate channels.
He reassured them that Ghana had legal frameworks, such as the Whistleblower Act, which encouraged citizens to expose corruption without fear of victimisation.
Ms Abena Fosuah Amankwah, an Investigator from the Prampram office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), educated the students on the dangers of harassment.
Ms Fosuah categorised harassment within the school ecosystem into teacher-to-teacher, student-to-teacher, and student-to-student dimensions.
She outlined the main types confronting young people today as sexual harassment; physical harassment, including insults and intimidation; and bullying, including cyberbullying.
She cautioned against perpetrators leveraging social media platforms to exploit young women by extorting them using nude photos and demanding sexual favours.
The engagement highlighted concerns regarding institutional exploitation, particularly female students being targeted by male teachers through “sex-for-grades” schemes, where teachers offer examination questions or guarantee passing grades in exchange for sexual favours.
”If you are a student and you find yourself in such a situation, we have institutions you can report that particular teacher to,” Ms Amankwah advised.
“If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe with such a teacher, you can report to the school authorities, the counselling team, or the school’s disciplinary committee,” she added.
She noted that national bodies such as CHRAJ, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVSU) of the Ghana Police Service were fully equipped to step in and protect affected students.
Ms Amankwah reminded the students that their primary focus must remain on their education to build the foundational confidence needed to secure future careers.
The engagement brought together headmasters, teachers, officials from the Ningo-Prampram District Office of the NCCE, and representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/Kenneth Odeng Adade