Of recent, most school authorities have realise the essence of
motivation for both students and staffs (teaching and non-teaching).
This has seen so many schools now organizing speech and prize giving
days, which where some are celebrating their 89th to 90th some are yet
to host their first of kind of it. A critical look at schools that have
since sometime have had this program, their students tend to be best
students suited for WAEC excellence awards.

But the big debate
is who really deserves the motivations most; the teachers or the
students. The role of teachers as everyone knows is very important in
molding the life of any individual who is or had being a student. Today
ostensibly senior high schools in Ghana have taken up the attitude of
charging each student at least GHS 10 ($5) to be use as a motivational
incentive for staffs for their enormous efforts towards bringing up the
future human resources of Africa and the world.



The
reason why they are motivated is for them to be encouraged to become
more dedicated towards their duties for better academic results.

But student motivation is very rare in our educational institutions. If
there be no speech and prize giving day in a particular school, then
that means students don't have any share of motivation to enable them do
more academically. The importance of motivating students is to help
encourage them to be of better human resources to our country, Ghana,
Africa and the whole world in future. In kind situations where there is a
speech and prize giving ceremony, the prizes given to the students are
only book prizes. And this sometimes is demoralising because what is a
mere book, even though it is what will make the somebody, going to set a
ground for competition among student. They rather need things that
their pocket monies can't afford. Some schools try and give laptops and
other prominent prizes room students and each and every year sees them
doing better. To share personal experience, i visited my former school
for a speech and prize giving day, whom after 10 years of suspending it
for no reason organising it, giving book prizes to students and for the
best teacher, an expensive cloth and a laptop. How can the students be
encouraged and motivated to set grounds for serious competitions to
better their academic strength and personal status.

During
speech and prize giving days, teachers are never left out and even end
up taking huge packages home and this makes them become more motivated
than students, hich in mine opinion shouldn't be so.

My request
to stakeholders in our education sector is, our students are the future
of what ever we do, let’s motivate them and make them the better and
required human resources to move our country, continent, and the whole
world to the next level.
NB: MOTIVATION BOOSTS THE DESIRE TO ACHIEVE GOALS.
Thank you.
AKPAH PRINCE
akpahprince.wordpress.com

A Day Spent at the ilead Summit part 1.

After a fortnight attending the Accra youth summit, i spent another
resourceful day at the maiden edition of the iLead SUMMIT 2013 organised
by the International Youth Council, Ghana Chapter. iLEAD an acronym for
Innovations, Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development was much
attended by tertiary student and i think i was the only non-tertiary
participant and also held at the Ghana Telecom University College.
Speakers were; Esi Yankah of Africa Mentors Network, Franklin Cudjoe of
Imani Ghana, Pierre Brunache Jr of African Fertilizer and Agribusiness
partnership, Mr. Anis Haffar of Gate Institute, Daniel Batidam of
African Parliamentarians’ Network Against Corruption and Rahul Sapra of
Fine Pack Ltd made great impacts into us the participants, follow me as i
unfold the told at the summit in this series.
Organise on the
theme: The African Cheetah; Leading the Next Generation of Africa
Renaissance was commenced by a key note address by the National
Director, National Youth Authority, Ghana, Mrs Sedinam Tamakloe which
commended the organisers and assured them of her support. Talking to us
she made us know of the new era that we are moving into. As African
cheetah we can turn the continent around. We need to take our rightful
place. We have the knowledge, energy and zeal that describes the
cheetah. She made notice that Ghana has the largest youth population on
the continent, and we must lead the innovation everywhere we find
ourselves, be it, governance, business, home etc. Giving examples of
some key innovations of from the Alexander Bell’s Telephone to the
smartphone of modern days, Telegrams to emails and the social media
Which she challenged us that most contribution were from young people
just like us we are. For Africa to have a place we must learn to
innovate. And also how to do it matters and everyone can do it. Bill
Gate was not an university graduate before he founded Microsoft.
Innovation is for everyday life and we can make it happen, she
concluded. Speakers took turns as Esi Yankah, a very young lady and
indeed a youth, thrilled the participants with her message speaking on
the theme: WATCH ME DO IT.
Before starting she told us she enjoys
speaking to peers to move them to greater heights which really inspired
that i can and will make it. She warned us against setting unrealistic
goals and having unrealistic mentors. Believing in herself is what makes
her dreams manifest. We need to be confident and not afraid of failure.
She also likes taking risks and said one thing that most of us youths
lack is taking action. We must look beyond money as our problem solver.
She said to achieve goals you need to meet may people who will tell you;
1. You can’t do it.
2. it is not possible.
3. Or through their actions tell you, you can’t do it.
4. Or help you- doubt your ability.
Sharing her personal story, she pursued visual arts at Wesley girls SHS
and moved to study Business Administrations in marketing in the US. In
this situation of finding herself among different people, being an
African doesn’t discourage her for contesting for several positions in
another man’s land. She contested the Class secretary, class president,
president of international students in her university in the US and won
all of them, yes that is an African woman. She didn’t keep silent
mentioning the fact that she is beautiful and intelligent. Yes, an
African woman witter brain. After her masters again in integrated
marketing communications consultant from Emerson College in Boston, USA,
she moved back to Ghana with the passion of mentoring other young
people which she started shortly after working as a consultant for her
day. Then realisation of her dreams started… Keep tune to this dial for
more.(part two.)
AKPAH PRINCE
akpahprince.wordpress.com