A parade
of school children, school cadet corps, artisans and other organized groups was
held at Bechem to mark the 57th Independence Day Anniversary.
Picture
left shows a section of the school children at the parade grounds whilst
picture right shows the dignitaries taking the guard of honour.
The
parade which saw dignitaries like Hon. Dr. Hanna Louis Bissiw, the Deputy
Minister of Agric, Hon. Bukari Zakari
Anaba, the Tano South District Chief Executive, Hon. Anthony Opoku,the
Presiding member of Tano South Distirct Assembly, Honourable Assembly
Members, Mrs Mary Grace Bonye, the Tano
South District Director of Education, Mr Sulemana B. Saaka, the Tano South
District Cordinating Director, the Clergy ,Nananom and Heads of Government Departments was climaxed
with a march past of school children and students drawn from the second cycle
institutions with the artisans from the Bechem Light Industrial Area also
participating in the march past.
In an
anniversary address read on behalf of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, the
Tano South District Chief Executive, Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba said, Ghana has
attained 57th years since it gained its independence from the
colonial masters and said independence day is a day set aside to remind
ourselves especially the youth of the sacrifices our founding fathers made to
attain independence. He urged all and sundry to pay tribute to Osagyefo Dr.
Kwame Nkrumah and other members who struggled to attain independence for Ghana
and charged the current generation and those who are yet to unborn to imitate
the exemplary life of the big six.
The
Tano South District Chief Executive reading the anniversary address.
Touching
on the theme for this years’ celebration o f “building a better and prosperous
Ghana through patriotism and national unity”
the DCE stressed that, the theme would help to offer Ghanaians the
opportunity to ponder and reflect as people on various facets of live and
mentioned the advantages which patriotism brings to a nation which he said
makes one exercises love and willingness to sacrifice for his country, inspire
us for noble deeds and natures human feeling and brotherhood among people.
On
national unity, the DCE said, it is the act of making together as one people
with a common purpose and destiny and explained that, we cannot build a better
and prosperous Ghana, if we make partisan politics tear us apart and hinted
that people cannot be united, if there is no peace and congratulated Nananom,
security agencies, district education directorate, Hon. Assembly members and
other people for working in harmonious manner to help maintain peace in the
district.
On
Ghana’s economy, the DCE said since Ghana has attained middle income level,
sometimes the country would encounter difficulties and when such challenges
come people should take it as a temporary thing
and advised people to support the government to enable the government
achieve its vision for the country.
The
District Chief Executive used the occasion to explain some government policies and intervention programmes ,and
touched on education by saying that since education is the bedrock of our
development the government is committed
to making education accessible to all and as a result, government will continue
to expand infrastructure in our schools across the educational structure thereby
creating more opportunities in our colleges of education to absorb more
qualified Senior High School graduates who wish to take teaching as a
profession. He announced that, the Tano
South District is part of the first fifty out of the two hundred (200)
beneficiary districts which would receive the community day senior high schools
the government has proposed to build in the country to help students have
comfortable places for learning.
On the
falling standard of education in the district, Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba said,
the Tano South Assembly has informed the district education oversight committee
made of a five (5) member committee to investigate into the matter and present
a report to the Assembly on the causes of the falling trend in education to enable
the Assembly take corrective measures to reverse the disturbing trend.
The DCE
said the President has directed all MMDA’s to name streets and address
properties within their jurisdictions and stressed that, Tano South District’s
street naming and property address team was inaugurated in September, 2013 and
hinted that, when the project is fully implemented, it would help the utility
service providers, security agencies and emergency services to respond promptly
to distress call when the need arise and urged Nananom, Assembly Members and other
stakeholders to co-operate with the field workers and provide the team with accurate information to
help make the exercise a success.
The
District Chief Executive concluded his address by urging students to work hard
and stay away from immoral lifestyles, issues of drugs, alcoholism, violence,
and sexual activities to enable them devote their time for learning.
In a short address, the Member of Parliament
for Tano South Constituency, Hon. Dr. Hanna Louis Bissiw advised the youth to
work hard to enable them attain higher heights in life and urged them to
respect their parents, teachers and the elderly people.
The
Member of Parliament for Tano South
Constituency addressing the gathering and decorating a pupil
At the
end of the parade, certificates were presented to all the participating schools
and prizes were awarded to the first best three schools in the primary, JHS,
and the second cycle categories for their
performance in the march past.
A section of the school
children in the march past.
