Tamale, June 20, GNA - Mrs. Elizabeth A. de-Sauza, Northern Regional Director of Education, has advised students from the North to persevere under the trying conditions to emerge winners in the pursuit of their career. She noted that the teaching and learning environment in the area has been unfriendly since time immemorial, but great men and women emerged to become national leaders and their shining examples are worth emulating.

Mrs. de-Sauza gave the advice in Tamale on Thursday, when she addressed students and staff of the Tamale Senior High School (TAMASCO), who emerged the runners-up in the National Commission for Civic Education/Project Citizen Ghana, national competition contest organised in Accra.

The competition was meant to enable students to participate in the decision making process and to offer them the opportunity to identify their potentials and prepare them to become good leaders in future. TAMASCO, which emerged winners of the regional competition, lost to Mawuli Senior High School from the Volta Region, in the national contest, while the Adisadel College in Central Region placed third. For their prize, they took away a flat screen computer, "Cowbell" products, and assorted books including copies of the 1992 Constitution and a Shield, which were presented to the Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service in a ceremony on Thursday.

Mrs. de-Sauza said in the past people in the North were walking long distances in search of education and even though modernity had made travelling easier, people were still failing to attend school. She said Navrongo became popular in educational pursuit in the North because the people understood the meaning of education very early because of the settlement of the Catholic Fathers. She advised the students to stay away from pre-marital sex and focus on their studies, which was the surest means to emerge as victors in their educational careers.

Mrs. de-Sauza commended students and staff of the school for studying hard to earn the second position in the competition.

Alhaji T.A. Mahama, Headmaster of TAMASCO said the educational facility used to be among the top five schools in the country and gave the assurance that the teaching staff would do their best to maintain standards. He dedicated the award to the people of the region, whose prayers made it possible for the students to win and promised that every effort would be made for TAMASCO to remain in the current National Mathematics and Science Quiz underway in Accra.