Instil leadership skills in children

Parents and school authorities have been advised to instill leadership qualities in children, from their early stages in order to be confident and patriotic.

“This would enable the children grow into responsible leaders who would steer the affairs of institutions and the country to a desired destination,” Mrs. Joy Cudjoe-Shaw, Board Secretary, Christian Vertical Centre School, said in Tema over the weekend.

Mrs. Cudjoe-Shaw was monitoring the school's maiden elections exercise organised in the form of a public election, where a voters’ register, ballot paper with pictures of candidates, an indelible ink to mark those who have voted, a transparent ballot box, observers and a voting booth were provided.

According to her: children must be taught their civic rights and responsibilities before attaining adulthood, this she said, included voting and being voted for in free and fair elections.

The Board Secretary observed that most people do not have good leadership skills, because they wait till they acquire a higher position before learning the qualities needed for such positions.

She called on stakeholders of education to educate children against the culture of demanding money and other forms of inducements in exchange for votes.

Mrs. Cudjoe-Shaw said it was regrettable that even though leaders must be voted for, based on their competence and vision, those who can provide material things and money normally get the nod.

Mr. Abraham Ekow Afer, Headmaster of Christian Vertical School, said the decision to allow the pupils to go through all the processes of a national election was to enable them get the practical aspect of civic education; a subject that they study.

According to Mr. Afer, he wrote to the Tema office of the Electoral Commission, help them hence the electoral materials such as indelible ink, transparent ballot boxes and voting screen for the school's election.

He explained that as a former polling assistant, he observed over the years that too many ballot papers were rejected during elections.

This he attributed to the lack of enough education and information about the responsibilities of a voter.

He stated that the best way to prepare the youth to vote at the required age of 18 was to allow children to experience the process from a younger age.

Mr. Afer said the process would also enable the children to learn that in an election, there was no draw but rather a win or a lose.

After voting and counting, 122 pupils from class four to JHS form three voted.

In all the four contested positions, there were 121 valid votes and one rejected ballot.

For the Boys Prefect position, Master Emmanuel Marful polled 77 votes as against Philip Bondzie, who got 44 votes.

Miss Sandra Nartey was declared the Girls’ Prefect after polling 88 votes. The Boys’ Compound Prefect position went to Master Nash Amanin Kwarteng while Miss Elizabeth Bimpeh was elected the Girls’ Compound Prefect.