Kufuor asks Education Ministry to include RME in school curriculum

Accra, March 5, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday directed the Education Ministry to provide space for Religious and Moral Education under the new education reform programme.

He suggested that the Ministry should set up a Committee to work out a partnership between the Government and religious bodies to include the subject in the curriculum.

This, he added, was necessary to help achieve the goal of turning out not only knowledgeable people, but also with acceptable moral behaviour.

"At the end of the day, we must admit that a human being of quality must be the one imbued with a fair balance of knowledge and morality. This must be the real object of education."

President Kufuor was speaking at the presentation of awards to school children, as part of the 51st Independence Anniversary Celebration at the State House in Accra. In all, 20 students made up of a boy and girl from each region, received prizes for excelling in the 2007 Basic Education Certificate Examination.

Each received a package that included a four-year full scholarship to pursue Senior High School education, books, certificate and cash of GH¢300.

Prizes were also presented to winners of this year's National Schools Debate.

Konongo-Odumase Senior High School, the winners, and Wesley Girls High School, the runners-up, received a set of computer and accessories each in addition to GH¢1,000 and GH¢800 cash respectively from Vice President Aliu Mahama. President Kufuor said he was present at the function in order to send a strong message to the country's young people that "it pays to work hard".

He said there should not be any doubt that if they continued to apply themselves diligently through the course of their education, many more opportunities would come their way. He advised the students to remain focused at all times in order to realise their fullest potential.

He repeated that one of the best legacies he wanted to leave with the nation was a strong, healthy and well-educated youth to form the relevant human resource base, vital for accelerated national development and that it was on account of this that the new education reform programme was launched.

President Kufuor said as was to be expected of such a programme, there were some initial challenges and that rather than feeling daunted, the nation should accept them and resolve to give of their best to bring about progress. In separate messages to Ghanaians, the school children lauded the Government for the new education reforms, which, they said, would make many of them computer literate and become competitive on the global market. They expressed appreciation for the Livelihood Empowerment Project (LEAP) and said it was an intervention that would help bridge the gap between rich and poor families.