By Muniratu Akweley Issah
Accra, Aug. 10, GNA – The National Peace Council (NPC) has asked students to be tolerant of one another in order to avoid conflict situations.
Mrs Janet Sarney-Kuma, Director, Capacity Development and Outreach at the National Peace Council, noted that if emotions, disagreement, and violence are not appropriately managed, they can escalate into conflict, disputes, and war, endangering the country’s peace.
She made the call at an outreach programme organised for students of the Accra Academy Senior High School (SHS) in Accra.
The mandate of the National Peace Council Act 818 is to ensure mediation and management of conflict situations in the country.
The goal of the outreach program was to educate students about the Peace Council’s mandate, increase their capacity for peace, and help them better manage conflict situations.
Mrs Sarney-Kuma told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the program was vital because of the many instances of conflict that had been developing in the country and at some senior high schools.
“Young people are the future leaders who will grow up to take very important positions, so it is critical to catch them young and teach them about conflict resolution, peaceful living, and coexistence in schools.
“And we believe that giving them a pep talk will help them manage some of these issues,” she said.
Mrs Sarney-kuma remarked that because people come from diverse backgrounds, disputes are unavoidable, and being able to manage such situations is critical for maintaining peace.
“Human beings can never be the same, as long as we are different, conflict situations are possible,” she said, adding that “knowing the dynamics and being able to manage when conflict arises is the most important thing.”
Mrs Sarney-Kuma urged the students to resolve disputes through appropriate channels and to maintain peace among themselves, emphasising that conflict situations could jeopardise national stability and investor confidence.
According to her, the NPC is still managing the long-running Bawku feud, as well as the Alavanyo and Nkonya conflict, and though those that started the disagreement may have died, the disputes persist.
She advised them to be tolerant, empathetic, and supportive of one another in order to avoid all forms of violence, including physical and emotional abuse.
Mrs Sarney-Kuma stated that the outreach would be extended to other schools throughout the country.
Mr Emmanuel Ofoe Fiemawhle, the school’s Headmaster, emphasized the relevance of the program in light of recent violence at other senior high schools.
“Violent situations are not exclusive to only one school, when such situations begin to happen, it gets to almost every school and it spreads like bush fires so getting the peace council to talk to them about tolerance and conflict management is very laudable.
“Getting ready for examinations, the apprehensions, anxiety, and emotional imbalances make them a bit hostile to each other. Therefore, sessions like this will help to guide them,” he observed.
He urged the students to concentrate on their academics and avoid aggressive situations as they prepared to face their final examinations in the coming weeks.
GNA