By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Takoradi, Oct. 24, GNA – Mr Lan Kwame Tugbenu, the Deputy Western Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has urged students to comply with their school rules and regulations, describing it as a practical demonstration of respect for the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
He said school rules, like the Constitution, provided a framework for maintaining order, protecting rights and defining the responsibilities of members of a community.
Mr Tugbenu made the call when he addressed students of the Archbishop Porter’s Girls’ Senior High School, including newly admitted first-year students.
He explained that the school’s student handbook served as its guiding document, just as the Constitution governed the conduct of citizens and the administration of the country.
“If you obey the school rules and regulations, you are obeying the Constitution of Ghana,” he told the students.
He drew parallels between Article 41 of the Constitution, which outlined the duties of citizens, and the school’s student handbook, which specified the responsibilities of students.
Mr Tugbenu took the students through selected provisions of the Constitution and explained how similar principles were reflected in the school’s code of conduct.
On equality and religious freedom, he referred to Article 17 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law, and Section 2.19 of the school’s Students’ Code of Conduct, which regulates religious practices.
The provision states that no student shall compel another to adopt a particular religious practice or faith.
It also considers any act that prevents or inhibits another student from practising her religious beliefs as misconduct.
Mr Tugbenu said the regulation promoted respect for individual beliefs and the peaceful coexistence of students with different religious backgrounds.
On the protection of property, he cited Regulation 13 of the school’s rules, which required every student to take care of school property.
He linked the provision to Article 41(f) of the Constitution, which required citizens to protect and preserve public property and expose and combat the misuse and waste of public funds and property.
He said students who took responsibility for school property were developing the values needed to become responsible citizens who respected public resources.
Mr Tugbenu noted that several other school regulations reflected principles enshrined in the Constitution, reinforcing the importance of discipline, responsibility and respect for the rights of others.
He urged the students to familiarise themselves with the school’s handbook and abide by its provisions to promote discipline and harmonious relationships within the school community.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Benjamin Mensa
Reporter: Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Email address: [email protected]