By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Navrongo (U/E), July 25, GNA – The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has advised students to uphold honesty and integrity in their daily lives and reject all forms of corruption, describing ethical conduct as key to Ghana’s development.
The Coalition said corruption thrived where integrity was absent and encouraged students to cultivate the habit of doing the right thing even when no one was watching.
Mr Emmanuel Anafo, the Upper East Regional Focal Person of the GACC, made the call during anti-corruption engagements respectively, at the Navrongo Senior High School in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality and Kongo Senior High School in the Nabdam District.
The event, organised by the GACC in collaboration with TradeAID Integrated, with funding support from the Hewlett Foundation, was part of the commemoration of the African Union Anti-Corruption Day and was held on the theme: “Scaling Up the Promotion of Integrity and Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa.”
Mr Anafo urged the students to become ambassadors of integrity by refusing to engage in corrupt practices and reporting wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities.
“We want your names to be among the very Ghanaians who have enough integrity to report people who are corrupt,” he said.
He explained that acts of corruption could be reported to institutions such as the Police, traditional authorities, teachers, and other relevant state agencies, stressing that citizens had a responsibility to speak up against corruption instead of remaining silent.
Mr Anafo described integrity as “doing the right thing when no one is watching” and adhering to strong moral values even in difficult situations.
He noted that Ghana’s abundant natural resources had not translated into the desired level of development because corruption continued to drain public resources.
“Every year, the Auditor-General reports that several billions of Ghana cedis are lost through corruption. Accountability and transparency have become major issues in Ghana,” he said.
He observed that public officials who abused their offices or failed to act responsibly lacked integrity and contributed to the country’s development challenges.
Mr Anafo cautioned against examination malpractice, describing it as one of the most common forms of dishonesty in schools, and urged the students to write their examinations honestly and earn only the grades they deserved.
“We do not want you to leave school with results that you cannot be proud of. We don’t want you to obtain scores on your report card that are not truly yours,” he said.
Mr Anafo challenged the students to demonstrate integrity during their upcoming examinations by resisting the temptation to cheat, regardless of whether invigilators were present.
“The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition wants everyone in this school to conduct himself or herself with integrity during the coming examinations,” he stressed.
He encouraged the students to practice honesty beyond the classroom, by rejecting corrupt offers and refusing to participate in unethical behaviour in their communities.
School authorities commended the GACC and its partners for educating students on integrity and anti-corruption, expressing the hope that the engagements would help shape responsible and ethical future leaders.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/ Christabel Addo
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Email: [email protected]