By Dennis Peprah, GNA
Goaso, (Ahafo), Sept. 21, GNA – The National Commission for Civic Education has challenged student and youth leaders to uphold, and defend the rule of law and accountability.
According to Mr Eric Adu, the Ahafo Regional Director of the NCCE, as future leaders of the nation, students and youth leaders ought to cherish and uphold integrity, asking them to remain law-abiding and patriotic.
The Regional Director, also a private legal practitioner, threw the challenge when speaking at an engagement meeting with some student leaders at Goaso, the regional capital, and admonished them to be disciplined and studious too.
They were drawn from Goaso Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC) Ntotroso NMTC and Dadeasoaba NMTC in the region.
The Ahafo Regional office of the NCCE organised the meeting to sensitize the student bodies on ethical leadership, the rule of law, and prevent corruption.
Mr Adu explained that the engagement was part of the implementation of the Participation, Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) project.
The project implementation is being supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
About 141 participants took part in the engagement dubbed “PAIReD youth-led civic dialogue series” which was organised in two phases.
Mr Adu advised the student leaders to frontline the advocacy of rule of law and integrity, saying that: “Shortcuts taken during professional training can create risks in future practice”.
“Nursing is a noble profession where patients largely depend on accurate records, confidentiality, honesty and professional competence”, he stated.
Mr Adu also highlighted the benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and encouraged them to leverage, asking them to endeavour to verify information before sharing stem growing misinformation and cyberbullying.
“You must take the responsibility to protect the privacy of fellow students and patients, and use AI tools responsibly and honestly”, he advised the students.
Mr Adu entreated the students to promote democratic practices within their respective institutions by respecting diverse opinions, as well as resolving their differences amicably.
“In fact, you must respect opposing views, uphold college regulations and protect minority rights too”, he stated.
Mr Joseph Frimpong Nayoo, the Ahafo Regional Coordinating Director advised the students to regard leadership as a responsibility, entrusted to them, rather than a position for personal advantage.
“Leadership is a trust, not a privilege to be exploited”, he stated, and urged the young leaders to make integrity, transparency, accountability, respect for the rule of law and ethical conduct the pillars of their leadership.
Mr Nayoo advised student and youth leaders to account properly for resources entrusted to them, exercise authority with humility, choose principle over convenience, and had the courage to acknowledge and correct their mistakes.
He noted that: “Student leadership experience should serve as a practical training ground for responsible citizenship, professional service and future public leadership”.
“As future nurses, midwives, professionals and community leaders, Ghana will require more than academic certificates from you”, Mr Nayoo added, saying that: “Ghana will need your conscience, your integrity and your sense of responsibility”.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Dennis Peprah
[email protected]