Child Resource Institute holds graduation ceremony

THE General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mrs Irene Duncan Adanusa, has appealed to all stakeholders to collaborate effectively to promote quality education in the country.
She observed that there was a wealth of knowledge and power in children which could be tapped for national development.
Mrs Adanusa said this in a speech read on her behalf by a representative of the Early Childhood Educators on the National Executive Committee of GNAT, Miss Mercy Lartiokor Lartey, at the fifth graduation ceremony of the International Child Resource Institute (ICIR), a vocational training institute in Accra at the weekend.
The General Secretary advised the graduands not to allow themselves to be pushed to the wall, but to demonstrate for all to see that they could also contribute effectively to the development of the country.
She said due to economic hardships, some young people could not access formal education to the highest level and, therefore, found themselves on the streets .
As a result of this unfortunate situation, she said the government had initiated and implemented various interventions to address such social problems, but these interventions had not achieved the desired results.
The ICRI, she noted, did not only train young graduands to acquire skills, but also went further to educate them on health issues such as STDs, HIV and AIDS and other health-related issues.
She believed that such education would make the products of the institution holistic and help them to lead lives that would not make them vulnerable.
“A healthy lifestyle is very paramount if one wants to achieve the desired vision in life. This addition to the skills and training makes this institution exceptional in its approach to handling the problems of streetism in this country,” she said.
Mrs Adanusa indicated that early childhood was very important in the educational ladder, and as such parents must see to it by enrolling their children in the centres for solid foundation building of their children.
She stressed the need for the government to take steps to ensure that these centres were established in remote communities in the country for free education to achieve its desired results.
The General Secretary also charged the graduands to make good use of the skills acquired in order to rub shoulders with those in higher positions.
She further advised the graduands not to be complacent with what they had learnt, but rather take advantage of every genuine opportunity that would come their way to improve their skills and make themselves more employable. “Add value to yourselves, so that you will be in high demand,” she added.
Mrs Adanusa commended the management of the institute for the wonderful programme put in place for the disadvantaged in the country.